Questions of Science
by Countess of Abe
Summary: NOW COMPLETE! Hermione is living a content life working at St. Mungo's when an unexpected assignment from the chief of medicine sends her to the home of Draco Malfoy. What will happen to the pragmatic brunette as she explores what science cannot answer?
1. Science and Progress

Disclaimer: all Harry Potter related themes and characters belong to JK Rowling and WB. In no way whatsoever will I ever be lucky enough to ever own something so fabulous. I've already asked if I could buy the Malfoys for a reasonable price... but they refuse. -sigh-

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**Questions of Science**

**Chapter 1: 'Science and Progress'**

Isabelle Paine watched as her coworker and friend, Hermione Granger, rummaged around her locker looking for a clean pair of scrubs. Isabelle and Hermione had met on their first day as Healer interns at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Hermione was the first person to point out that Isabelle would be known as Healer Paine…quite ironic and a bit tiresome after hearing the same joke for the nth time.

Hermione felt someone watching her and looked up from her task of finding at least one scrubs top that didn't have wrinkles. She saw Isabelle looking at her curiously.

"Are you going to keep staring, Belle, or are you going to help me out?" asked Hermione, a hint of a smile on her face.

"I seem to remember looking for my stetho-wand the other day and then you berating me for my carelessness and disorganization. I think I'll sit back and watch you unearth the storage nightmare that you call your locker," said Isabelle, leaning back in her chair and grinning at her brunette friend.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and continued pulling out the accumulated rubbish she had thrown into her locker over the three years she had worked at St. Mungo's. She had met Isabelle at the introductory meeting for all incoming interns. They had been paired as 'rounds' partners and had grown quite close, saving each other's hides from the attending healer that they had named Dr. Whore, secretly of course, insulting her on two levels: the fact that they called her a doctor, which is something of a joke to the magic health profession, and by calling her a whore, an insult within itself.

Isabelle was a very loyal friend and Hermione found her interesting and exciting. Compared to Hermione's dull brown-rust hair color, which even Isabelle agreed to jokingly, Isabelle had soft golden curls that Hermione just wanted to shave off and spello-tape to her own head. Isabelle was also more athletic than Hermione, always forcing her to go running, which Hermione absolutely refused to do. Running seemed pointless to Hermione if you weren't going somewhere or running from something. She much rather preferred to have a routine of eating at odd hours of the day, due to her hospital shifts, and then walking back to her flat as exercise. Sure, it wasn't the healthiest of habits, but Hermione wasn't one to stress over how many carbohydrates she had had for breakfast.

This didn't mean she was fat or let herself go. Hermione kept an average womanly figure with a narrow waist, standard sized hips and medium length legs. She was happy with her average height: not too short and not too tall, just an average woman. That was Hermione; an average, kind, altruistic, hard-working, smart and relaxed 20 year old. That's another thing: she was relaxed. Anyone who knew her from school would have said that Hermione was quite uptight, anal retentive, and tense. That had changed though. Working in a hospital had changed her outlook on life. Seeing so many people die and so many die at young ages, Hermione thought twice about making mountains out of molehills, stressing over the little things, and living life to the fullest.

Even though they were 'rounds' partners, they had each chosen a different field to study during their internships. Isabelle had chosen pediatric internal healing and Hermione had chosen neuropsychiatric healing. After reading a book on clinical depression and bipolar disorder, Hermione had taken a fascination with the mental illnesses of the mind which was also present in the magical world. Isabelle and Hermione had finally become resident healers the previous month, earning them the title of 'Healer' and the opportunity to treat patients unassisted.

"Found one!" said Hermione, pulling a light green scrubs top from the bottom of her locker. "Shit! It has blood on it."

Most resident Healers chose to wear the muggle equivalent of the scrubs uniform, simple cotton top and pants, instead of the long light green Healer robes that the attending Healers wore.

"Are you stupid, Herms?" asked Isabelle, enjoying the cringe on Hermione's face at the annoying nickname.

"I hate when you call me that," said Hermione. "Why do you question my stupidity?"

"I know you hate when I call you that, but because you hate it so much, it makes it more tempting to use," she said. "I question your stupidity because sometimes I think you forget about that piece of wood we carry around. In case you forgot, it's called a wand, and it can take that bloody stain right out."

"Ha-ha, get it? Bloody…blood," said Hermione with a fake smile.

Isabelle snorted and shook her head as Hermione magicked the stain right off the fabric.

"If you're quite through with the 'Incredible Search for the Unstained Scrub,' we have to get going," said Isabelle, standing up from her seat.

"Where are we going? I know for a fact that you have two critical patients and I have a meeting with Dr. Whore," said Hermione.

"Yes, I know about my patients, thanks for the reminder," she replied dryly. "But your meeting was cancelled and Healer Brandon wants to see you in her office at two pm."

The two of them walked along the hospital halls, the smell of antiseptic and isopropyl alcohol permeating the air.

"Healer Brandon wants to see me? What would the chief-of-medicine want with me?" asked Hermione, a look of worry passing through her features.

"I'm sure it's nothing Herms. You haven't killed anyone this week," Isabelle said with a smile, but received a playful punch from Hermione. "Just don't worry. My shift ends at four, so we can go out for dinner and you can tell me all about what ol' cheify wants with you."

"That sounds great, but I have to be back by nine because I'm on call tonight," Hermione said with a scowl. "And I'm pretty sure Dr. Whore saved all the redundant cases for me. I swear Belle, that woman is out to get me."

"You and me both. The other day she gave me a youngster whose wand backfired and caused him to throw up every few minutes. I swear I almost puked right along with him," said Isabelle, earning a laugh from Hermione. "Ok, well, this is my patient's room. I'll meet you in the break room at four."

"Sounds good," said Hermione as she walked towards the front desk.

Arielle, the hospital administrative assistant, which actually meant hospital secretary, was sitting at the front desk painting her nails an extremely loud orange color.

"Hello Arielle," greeted Hermione. "Did I get any messages?"

"Um, Healer Brandon said she wanted to see you at two and Mr. Harry Potter said he would like you to floo him whenever you have free time," said Arielle without looking up from her manicuring excursion.

Hermione thanked her and went back to the break room to floo her childhood friend.

Harry Potter had finally defeated Lord Voldemort in his seventh year. Finding all of the horcruxes and eventually settling into a life of fighting the dark arts as an auror. There really was no career more suited for the savior of the wizarding world.

Even with their busy schedules, Harry, Hermione, and Ron found time to talk and enjoy each other's company. Ron had joined his father at the Ministry, working for the Department of Magical Games and Sports. All three of them were satisfied with their work and found the beginning of their adulthoods much more pleasant than the awkward, angst-filled era of their teenage years.

Hermione threw the floo powder into the public floo network set up in the break room. She called Harry's name and his head appeared within seconds.

"Hey, Hermione!" said Harry.

"Hey yourself; you wished to speak with me?" Hermione asked, kneeling down next to the fireplace.

"Yeah, I was wondering if I left my broom at your flat or at the Burrow. Have you seen it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at her forgetful friend. "It's in my storage closet at home. You can go get it. I'm pretty busy today."

"Thanks mate! Will we be seeing you at the Burrow this weekend?" he asked.

"As if I would miss Ron's engagement party," said Hermione with a smile.

"Great! See you then!" said Harry and soon his head disappeared from the flames.

Ron had met a nice girl who worked with him at the Ministry. Her name was Ellie and she was just as sarcastic, fun-loving, and ambitious as Ron, making her a perfect match for him. Hermione thought of Ellie as a female Ron Weasley.

A failed romance between Hermione and Ron during their seventh year had affirmed their beliefs that they were better off as friends. Well, it wasn't really a romance, per se, more of an awkward relationship above friendship restricted to holding hands and gauche kisses. After about a week of the monstrosity known as their romance, they mutually agreed that their friendship was just too close and filial to be taken up a notch. Hermione loved both Harry and Ron and considered them extended family.

Hermione's love life was something she would describe as…nonexistent. It's not that she didn't want a boyfriend, it's just that with working at the hospital and sometimes having up to eleven-hour shifts, she just didn't see the priority of finding a man to fulfill her idealistic needs. Isabelle was the opposite. No matter how much work she had, she would find at least one guy to hook up with at least once a week. She claimed that it relieved stress and meant nothing, but Hermione knew that Isabelle was just a randy girl who found getting laid to be a necessity.

Isabelle respected Hermione for her principles. Hermione had confessed that she was waiting for the right guy to finally 'make her a woman'. At first, Isabelle thought Hermione was joking, claiming to be a nineteen year old virgin, which was how old Hermione was when she told Isabelle. But when she found out that she was not joking, she didn't tease her or make fun of her. Deep down she esteemed her and was a bit jealous of not having as much self-control and ethics as her brunette friend. Isabelle had jumped into the sack with the first guy that had winked at her when she was sixteen.

Modern society had reflected to their generation that sex didn't really have much meaning. It was a way to find physical pleasure and was a requirement in a relationship. Hermione considered herself old-fashioned and thought that sex was not something to be taken lightly. To her, sex was a deep emotional experience with someone who would hold her heart in their hands. Sure, it was a sexually gratifying and carnal act, but it also meant giving up one's restraints and insecurities. Sex was to trust someone with her body and to witness her when she had no restrictions or limitations, at her most uninhibited.

Call her conservative; call her a prude, but she was not going to hand over her only body to some shmuck that would use it just to knock one off. When Hermione put her mind to something, no one was going to change it.

Hermione looked down at her watch and noticed that she had ten minutes before she had to meet with the chief-of-medicine. She decided to show up early instead of risking it and being late.

She took the lift up to the sixth floor where the executive offices were located and knocked on the mahogany door that led to Healer Brandon's office. She was granted entry and opened the door.

Healer Carla Brandon was a woman in her mid-forties and was a role model to both Hermione and Isabelle. She was a feminist type and always urged the promotion of female healers in a field that was predominantly male. Healer Brandon was the head OB/GYN before she became the chief-of-medicine, making her even more of a female activist.

"Ah, Hermione dear, it's good to see you," she said, standing up from behind her desk.

"Hello Healer Brandon, I hope you're doing well," said Hermione as she shook hands with the chief-of-medicine.

"Quite well. Please do sit down; we have a few things to discuss," she said and took her own seat behind the desk. "Now, how many years have you been with us at St. Mungo's?

"Well, I became an intern as soon as I graduated from Hogwarts, so I've been here three years."

"Three wonderful years," said Healer Brandon with a smile. "Your patients speak very highly of you and so do your superiors."

"Thank you," said Hermione politely.

"Now, I have heard from the head of the Psychiatry department that you are the best neuropsychiatric Healer we have here. I congratulate you and that is the main reason I have brought you in today. Have you heard of the hospital's Domiciliary Care Program, the DCP?"

"Yes I've heard a few healers speak of it, but I'm not exactly sure what it entails," said Hermione.

"Well, St. Mungo's has implemented the DCP for as long as the hospital has been around. Now the program in itself is very revered and highly regarded as a Healer's ticket to prominence. Domiciliary care is just a fancy way of saying 'home care' and it's a way for confidential establishments and private citizens to receive health care without going to the hospital or for the treatment of terminally ill patients."

"So basically, people can pay the hospital to send a Healer to someone's home and treat a patient?" Hermione asked.

"Exactly. Now in some cases, the patient will have an untreatable ailment and we send our healer's to research and find a proper treatment plan and care regimen. We once treated a wizard who had Sorcerer's Syndrome and we sent one of our healers to monitor him, treat him, and develop a management plan for future cases."

"Ok, I think I understand," said Hermione. "I'm guessing that you want me to participate in the Domiciliary Care Program?"

"Always a step ahead," Healer Brandon said kindly. "We received a proposal from a client who wishes to have his mother submitted into the DCP. She has a history of spousal abuse and 'group' abuse. Now, I'm sure you know that Death Eaters were the ones who coined the phrase 'group abuse.' It's where they take an individual and perform unmentionable things to them, sexually, physically, psychologically."

"I did my dissertation on 'group abuse,'" said Hermione. "It was extremely difficult to find information though because the victims don't wish to speak about it and most of the Death Eaters have already been given the Dementor's kiss."

"That's true. Now, because of the abuse that this patient received, she has developed paranoid schizophrenia. You are the finest neuropsychiatrist we have and I picked you specifically for this challenging assignment."

"Thank you, Healer Brandon. I'm honored that you thought of me for this," said Hermione.

"Of course, dear; so, now all we need to do is get you to agree to the terms and you have the job."

"Terms? What sort of terms?"

"Well, since this is a Domiciliary Care Program, you will be needed on 24 hour alert, so that would require you to set up residence at the patient's home. She is also a critical patient and doesn't respond to any treatments her son and her original Healer have tried. She was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia about a month after the final battle took place, so she has been struggling with this for a good three years."

"That's horrible. I've researched that illness and it's a terrible thing to live with, and a dreadful thing to experience as a family member. I'll help in any way I can."

"I do thank you Hermione. I couldn't have trusted anyone else with a case as sensitive as this. The patient's son has donated a massive amount of money to the hospital and has also offered to pay extra for the Healer. He said that he will cater to whatever the Healer needs while they stay at his home and make sure they are as comfortable as possible." She took a breath for her next statement. "Another reason why I chose you is because of your connections to the Order of the Phoenix."

Healer Brandon was also an active member of the Order, being in such a high-profile position, she was valued for her inside information and the respect she earned from the community.

"What does my being in the Order have to do with this job?"

"Well, the client is someone that the Order has trust in, but someone that the public holds a grudge against, since they do not know his entire story," said Healer Brandon.

Hermione instantly knew who the chief-of-medicine was talking about. She suppressed a look of shock and breathed the name. "Draco Malfoy."

"I've heard stories from members of the Order that you and your friends were not very sociable with Mr. Malfoy, and that Mr. Malfoy, to quote your friend Ron, 'was a little piece of shit who liked to hear himself speak even when no one else did.'"

"That pretty much sums it up," Hermione said with a smile. "He wasn't the most agreeable person and I'm pretty sure he hated the air that Harry, Ron and I breathed."

"Ah, school. Where hate and love are born," said Healer Brandon chuckling. "I hope this doesn't change your mind Hermione. We still need you for this, and I know it's asking a lot of you, but I wouldn't take it out on his mother who is in dire need of treatment."

"I know," said Hermione with a sigh. "I would never jeopardize a patient's health for some personal squabble or past grievance. You have always instilled the principle of professional work before personal experience. I am still flattered to be chosen for this and I won't let you down."

Healer Brandon smiled at Hermione. "I wish all of my healers were as mature and professional as you Hermione. Now I need to go over some more details so that you'll have everything you need. Now, you're going to be moving in this Saturday night to Malfoy Manor; he's opened up the floo network for you. He said he will give the healer a wing of the house for their very own which includes two bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms, an office, a kitchen, a dining room, and a sitting room."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "That's more than I have at my flat."

"Well, the Malfoys are an old wizarding family and gargantuan manors are not rare for them. He said he will pay 500 galleons more a month than you make at your normal salary."

Hermione's jaw was starting to hurt a bit, but this offer was more than she had ever expected. She already had enough money to let her live comfortably in a one bedroom flat near the hospital. Her parents had helped her pay off her loans and had given her furniture as a birthday present. Her salary at the hospital wasn't as much as what an attending healer would get, but it was still a decent amount.

"That is very generous of him," Hermione finally said.

"Yes, even though we told him that the program pays for you, he insisted to spoil the Healer; my words, not his," Healer Brandon said with a smile.

"So how long will I have to stay at the manor? A few days? A couple of weeks?" Hermione asked.

"Actually, according to the rules of the program, you must stay there until the patient has been treated or until they pass on."

"What?!" Hermione asked, a bit loudly, but not disrespectfully. "Paranoid schizophrenia is untreatable. Sure you can ease the symptoms and condition the patient to have fewer schizophrenic fits, but you can't treat it fully."

Healer Brandon laughed at the outburst. "Dear, it's alright, no need to fret. I know and understand that her condition is irreversible, but she has such a severe case of it that the healer who diagnosed it said that she possibly had only two years left."

"Two years to live?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Yes. Maybe three if given proper treatment. Mr. Malfoy has asked for her to live a comfortable last few years and he said he would do anything to make that happen."

"But schizophrenia doesn't lead to an early death. It's not as if her immune system has weakened," said Hermione.

"Mrs. Malfoy didn't come down with her stipulation by normal accounts. It's been noted that she had suffered numerous Cruciatus curses, and been under the Imperious curse many times. Muggles do not deal with those things, so their psychiatric diseases don't usually lead to early deaths. Those curses have caused her to lose many brain cells and to increase the severity of her schizophrenia. They also caused her internal organs to weaken along with her immunity. If her original healer didn't work as fast as he did to try and restore her internal balance, she could have died almost immediately."

"I see," said Hermione contemplatively. "Will I ever get to leave the manor or will I be constantly on call?"

"Mr. Malfoy has agreed to give you two days a week off, where he said he could watch her, but he would need you to have a mode of contact with him in case he needs you, which in that case, you will need to apparate as quickly as possible back, because the program does not usually allow our healers time off."

"That's kind of him," Hermione said. "He must really care for his mother for him to go through all of this trouble and money to make sure the person who takes care of her is happy."

"Yes. I really appreciate you doing this Hermione. I see a promotion to attending status as soon as you return."

"Thank you Healer Brandon. I really am glad to be offered this opportunity. I just hope I have the capability to do it."

"I know you have the talent and I know you have the strength to do anything you put your mind to," said Healer Brandon tenderly. "Now, all we need for you to do is sign this contract and you'll be all set."

Hermione signed the piece of parchment that was longer than any essay she had ever written. It explained everything in detail and answered any questions she might have. Healer Brandon made a copy magically and rolled it up for Hermione to take with her.

"I thank you again Hermione. I wish you the best of luck and my floo is always open if you need me," Carla said as she led Hermione to the door.

"Thank you, I'll keep you updated," said Hermione and closed the door behind her. She let out a sigh that would have given Molly Weasley a run for her money.

'What on earth did I just do?' Hermione thought to herself. 'Well, I just made the best career move I could ever possibly make, yet still the stupidest thing I have ever done.'

Hermione walked slowly to the break room and decided to catch up on her paperwork as she waited for Isabelle to finish her shift. At four on the dot, Isabelle strolled into the room, tired and covered in apple juice.

"Sometimes I regret the day I chose to work with those little brats instead of crazy people like you do Herms," said Isabelle as she stripped her scrubs top off, leaving her in a sports bra.

"They're not crazy people, Belle," Hermione said, smiling at her friend's shamelessness.

"Oh, excuse me, Healer Granger, I meant mentally unstable and mentally ill people," said Isabelle with a roll of her eyes as she pulled a blouse on.

Hermione laughed and shook her head. "Come on, I'm getting hungry and we have a lot to talk about."

"I can't wait to hear what Brandon told you; she probably placed her resignation and asked you to be the new chief-of-medicine, oh Miss Genius One."

"Yes, that's exactly what happened. I start on Monday," said Hermione. "And my first job as chief-of-medicine is to fire Dr. Whore and promote you as my co-chief-of-medicine."

"Don't tease me like that, Herms. Those are the things that only happen in my fantasies and dreams," Isabelle said with a far-away look. She smiled at Hermione and they left the break room laughing.

They managed to agree on a restaurant in downtown London that suited both of their palates. They sat down to enjoy their meals and began talking. Hermione told Isabelle everything that had happened during her meeting with Healer Brandon.

"Whoa," Isabelle said as she took a sip of her mai-tai. "I remember Clementine did that program a year ago and she is still working with her patient. But I'm happy for you Herms; this is a big step for your career and a really great opportunity for your neuropsychiatric research."

"I know and I'm actually looking forward to it. I mean, I've only read about paranoid schizophrenia, and I've never really experienced it first-hand."

"And you'll be living at Malfoy Manor for Zeus' sake. That's like living at Buckingham Palace, but better," said Isabelle with a grin.

"It's just a house Belle. Plus, the person who tormented me through my adolescent years and my friends' adolescent years will be living in the same place," Hermione said with a scowl.

"That's what I don't get. How can the hospital allow you to work for Draco Malfoy? I mean, he was a flipping Death Eater."

Hermione hadn't told Isabelle about what had actually happened during the final battle. Isabelle, not being a part of the Order, didn't know how the war was actually won.

"I think it's about time you found out the truth Belle," said Hermione, putting down her fork.

"Hit me," said Isabelle.

"Well, Draco Malfoy was in fact a Death Eater. He became one in our sixth year at school. He also found a way to let other Death Eaters into the school the night Dumbledore died, but he didn't actually kill Dumbledore."

"I knew that, it was that Snake guy right?" Isabelle asked. Isabelle had gone to a magical school in Australia, since her father was the British ambassador to the Australian Ministry of Magic, so what she knew about Hogwarts, she learned from Hermione.

"Snape, and yes, he was the one who actually performed the killing curse. I don't know where they went after they fled the school, but somehow McGonagall found out that Snape was ordered to carry out some Unbreakable Vow with Malfoy's mother and that Dumbledore knew all along."

"Wicked," said Isabelle as she nodded along to the story. "What a bleeding martyr."

"Yes well, it turned out that Snape was still on our side, and that he had convinced Malfoy to turn spy with him. I don't much about what actually happened, but they led us to the final battle, giving us the location of Voldemort's hideout and infiltrating Death Eater meetings. After the war was over, McGonagall tried hard to convince the Ministry and the public that Snape and Malfoy had fought on the light side, but they just wouldn't accept it. Killing Dumbledore and being Death Eaters in the first place really put a blemish on their records and to this day, nobody will accept the fact that they actually helped bring Voldemort down."

Isabelle sat thinking, going over everything Hermione had just told her.

"That blows," she said finally. "Nobody believing you. It's a down-right horrible feeling."

"Yes. I heard that Malfoy doesn't leave the house because there is a bounty on his head. Anyone who can capture him gets this major reward from the ministry. A similar thing happened to Harry's godfather a few years back. He couldn't leave the house and it drove him mad."

"How come people just don't go up to his house if they want him so bad?"

"His house is heavily protected by old magic, unplottable charms, and a few extra anti-detection spells put up by the Order."

"The Order is the group you're in, the Phoenix one?"

Hermione nodded her head.

"What happened to Snape? Does he also live in seclusion?"

"No, he died in the final battle. Frankly, I don't know whether it was better to have died in the battle or to have to live like a prisoner."

"Yeah," said Isabelle. They ordered desert and moved on to a more cheerful subject.

"Guess what?" Isabelle asked as she licked her spoon clean of caramel sauce.

"Chicken…" Hermione started.

"Don't even finish that god-awful joke."

Hermione smiled and gestured for Isabelle to continue.

"Harry asked me out," she said with a bit of a squeak in her voice.

"Really?" Hermione asked smiling.

"Yes, he asked me to Ron's engagement party." She paused. "Are you ok with that?" she asked with a look of nervousness.

"Why wouldn't I be ok with that? This is fantastic, Belle. It really is. Harry is a great guy and he deserves someone like you, who is equally fantabulous."

"Thanks Herms. For some reason I just thought I'd make sure to see if it was fine with you before I did anything."

"No need for that. You two really will make a cute couple. I thought he'd never get over Ginny," said Hermione with a sigh.

"What happened with her? I never really asked," said Isabelle.

"Well after the war ended, she expected Harry to take her back instantly, but he was still trying to recover from everything and she took that as a rejection. Looking back on it now as a neuropsychiatrist, it was necessary for him to take a break from reality and the troubles of his childhood."

"So what did Ginny do?"

"Well it took him about a year to finally recuperate, but by the time he was ready, she had run off to America with some Texas oil tycoon. I never ever thought in all my years knowing her that she would ever do something so foolish and hurtful."

"Poor Harry," said Isabelle with a frown. "Well I'll try and make him forget the stupid firecrotch."

"Isabelle! You are so disgusting!" said Hermione with a look of revulsion and astonishment on her face, but eventually started to laugh at her brazen friend.

"So how are we going to get you a boyfriend if you're going to be stuck with that assignment?" Isabelle asked.

"Psh. Yes, I can see the guys lining up to be with this Healer who puts more time and energy into researching Psychotherapeutic Postural Integration than she does finding which make-up and hair style actually makes her look half-way attractive."

Isabelle rubbed the tips of her pointer finger and thumb together as Hermione talked.

Hermione noticed this and raised her eyebrow. "Why are you doing that with your fingers?"

"Oh, I'm playing the world's smallest violin as you bitch and moan about how pathetic you are."

"You're a sweet friend," Hermione said with a smile.

"Yes I know. But anyways, you have to stop thinking of yourself as some sort of nerdy teenager on the bad end of a case of puberty," said Isabelle. "You are beautiful Herms. Just flipping beautiful. Sure you don't find the need to paint your face with cosmetics, but that's because you have this natural beauty that really shouldn't be covered up in the first place. And sure your hair was a god-forsaken mess when you started your internship, but with a little coaxing from yours truly, you finally agreed to get it magically straightened and now it looks wonderful. So just stop with the pitiful ugly healer rant because it's just not true and makes me want to slap you."

Hermione smiled at her friend and signed her name on the check that the waitress had brought by. "Thanks Belle, you really are a sweet friend."

"Of course I am. Now back to my original question. How on earth are we going to find Mr. Right for you? I mean, Malfoy's only giving you two days off a week. That's not enough social time to reel the perfect man in."

"I have the rest of my life to worry about which guy will finally get to claim the Virgin Queen of St. Mungo's, so let's just figure that out later and right now we'll focus on what you're going to wear for your big engagement party date."

This seemed to distract Isabelle from the subject and they left the restaurant arguing about what color went best with green. Hermione didn't really know, but found it hilarious to argue that lime green really went best with bright purple, which made Isabelle quite frustrated with her friend's lack of any style.

The engagement party was two days away and the day that Hermione would start her assignment and move into Malfoy Manor. She hoped and prayed that Harry and Ron would take the news as agreeably as Isabelle did. But that was something Hermione would worry about tomorrow.

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A/N: The title of the chapter and the title of the story come from the song, "The Scientist" by Coldplay.


	2. Confidence in You

Disclaimer: Nope.

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**Chapter 2: Confidence in You**

Hermione wrote down her patient's serotonin increase on their chart as she casually glanced at her watch. It was two a.m. and she had one more hour of being on call before she could go home. Usually at this hour, the hospital was quiet with sleeping patients and only a few healers on call, so Hermione enjoyed the serenity and reveled in it.

She placed the chart back on the edge of the patient's bed and left the room. She had been working since nine p.m. and was wishing that Isabelle had been given the night shift as well, to keep her company. She yawned and made her way to the on-call room where couches and beds were placed for healers to relax and recharge during their shifts.

She lay down on one of the beds and put her arms behind her head, thinking about everything that had happened that day. She was going to tell Harry and Ron the news of her assignment as soon as she had gotten some sleep, but she was anxious for how they would take it.

Even though Draco Malfoy had sold out his own father and joined the light side, Harry and Ron weren't the types to really forgive and forget. At the end of the battle, Harry did shake Malfoy's hand, but it was more of a forced death-grip rigor mortis type of embrace.

It had been three years since Hermione had last seen him, and on the day of the battle, he hadn't looked too well; probably owing to the fact that he and Snape had been in hiding and had been tortured personally by the Dark Lord. Thinking about Malfoy made Hermione think about him during their school years. He had been the biggest prat to them. The things he did were vile and evil and just plain mean-spirited.

It wasn't just the things he did, but the arrogance he exuded when he did them. Even when he was brought down off of his high horse, he still put on an air of superiority and excellence. 'He was most likely covering up the inferiority he felt at home.' Hermione thought in her psychiatric way.

That was one thing about Hermione. She thought about everything in scientific ways. Practical, ordered, psychological ways. Anything a person did could be traced back to science and cognitive behavioral studies. Isabelle teased her about it: always thinking like a healer, never like a human.

Hermione didn't mind though. She preferred to think of things in a way that could be proven. She obviously loved to read, but would prefer to read a book on potions and experiments rather than on art and comparative history.

Her thoughts were broken as she heard the nasal voice of Dr. Whore from the doorway of the on-call room.

"Healer Granger, I have been paging your wand for the past ten minutes. I don't think Healer Brandon would appreciate it if she found out her little star resident has been neglecting her duties."

Hermione sat up in the bed and smiled politely at the attending Healer. "I don't think Healer Brandon would appreciate it if she found out one of her attendings was switching shifts with the interns." Hermione said calmly. "You can't threaten me anymore Healer Martin, I don't work beneath you and I don't even work in your department. I would appreciate it if you treated me like a colleague and not like some amateur intern."

Dr. Whore just grinned sourly at Hermione. "Well I may not be in charge of you anymore but you still have to answer your pages regardless of who may be calling. Your patient, Briars, is not responding to the potions you've given him and the matron-witch needs your approval before pushing a higher dosage."

Hermione stood up and thanked Dr. Whore before walking to her patient's room. The matron-witch was writing something on the chart and proceeded to give the patient the potions after Hermione approved of the dosage.

After making sure that his stats had dropped back to normal, Hermione left the patient's room and thanked all the deities that it was finally three a.m. She clocked out and changed into her street clothes, walking as quickly as she could away from the hospital before she was spotted by some needy intern.

She arrived at her flat and threw her wand and keys onto the coffee table of her cramped living room. She looked through the post that the owls had left on her window sill and walked to her bedroom. Sleep was calling her name and she brushed her teeth, washed her face and collapsed on the bed, not bothering to change into her pyjamas.

* * *

The alarm clock unmercifully rang at noon, waking Hermione from her peaceful slumber. She rolled over in bed and shut off the screeching banshee of a clock and got out of bed, feeling surprisingly refreshed. She stumbled to the bathroom and did her necessities before coming back out and changing into clothes that she hadn't worn to bed.

She walked out to the kitchen and smiled at the realization that she had the day off today. She heard a knock at the door and opened it to find Ron and Harry standing outside.

"Hey guys, I was going to come and visit you today." Hermione said as she let them in.

"Oh, what a coincidence. We were just talking about how we hadn't seen you in a long while, so we decided to come and visit you, because Izzie told me you had a day off." Harry said.

"Izzie?" Hermione said with a sly smile. "Didn't know you two were on a nickname basis."

"Oh um, yeah, whatever." Harry said avoiding the stares of his two best friends.

Hermione laughed and invited them to sit with her for breakfast.

"It's noon Hermione, we had breakfast four hours ago." Ron said.

"Well, then I can have breakfast and you two can have lunch." She said, conjuring some food with her wand.

Since they were conveniently in her home, Hermione decided to tell them about the assignment over their breakfast/lunch.

"So how is work, 'Mione? Still working with the nutters?" Ron asked.

"Would you not call them that, Ron? They have neurodegenerative illnesses." Hermione said for what she thought was the millionth time.

"No need to pull out the fancy medical jargon, a simple 'yes' would suffice." Ron said with a joking smile.

"Actually, I wanted to speak with you and Harry about something that came up at work." Hermione said, clearing the dishes from the table. After the table was cleared, they all moved to the living room. "I have the opportunity to further my career and make attending status quicker than normal."

"Well that's great Hermione. We always knew you'd be promoted faster than everyone else." Harry said.

"It's not so much about the promotion that's beneficial, it's the opportunity to work hands-on with one patient who is in critical need of healthcare."

"Ok…I'm not sure I follow." Ron said with a confused look. "Don't you already work hands-on with patients in critical need of healthcare?"

Hermione thought for a second, this approach was clearly not working, so she decided to dive right in with the news. Dive into a molten volcano of reactions.

"I was asked to be a part of the Domiciliary Care Program and I have been assigned to treat Narcissa Malfoy for her paranoid schizophrenia as I live at the Malfoy manor."

She expected shouting, red-faces, cursing, and an occasional hand slam against the table. She was not expecting them to laugh.

"Why are you two prats laughing? Someone's illness is not funny." Hermione said calmly.

"Come on Hermione. I grew up with Fred and George; I can smell a joke a mile away." Ron said as he calmed down from his laughter. "Honestly, she expected us to believe that she was going to live at Malfoy Manor. Might as well have said you were going to swim down the River Styx and have a threesome with Hades and Satan."

Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "You don't remember to bring the ring to your own proposal, yet you remember the names of muggle mythological symbols just to insult me."

Harry noticed that Hermione looked completely serious. "Are you telling us that you actually have to go and live at Malfoy Manor as you treat Malfoy's mum?"

"Yes, it is part of the program and this is something that I really want to do. I move in on Saturday night and I would appreciate it if you two didn't freak out about this. I am not doing this to spite you or betray our friendship, but it is part of my job and I am glad I have the opportunity."

Ron and Harry sat there thinking about what their treasured friend had just told them. Harry spoke first.

"How long do you have to stay there?"

"Until she is treated, which will not happen, or until she passes." Hermione said.

"You have to wait until the old bird kicks the bucket and then you can be freed from the haunted house?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Ron, really it's not at all as bad as you think. I know we have a lifelong grudge against Malfoy, but his mother shouldn't have to suffer because of it. I really do want to help her because she's been through more than we could ever imagine. I was looking over her chart and it doesn't even mention half of the things she's probably seen."

"Well, if it's your job, it's your job and we can't just forbid you to not go." Harry said with a sigh. "I'm not saying I'm happy with this, but whatever you feel you need to do; I guess I'll support you."

"Thank you Harry, I appreciate the support." She turned to Ron who was still thinking.

"Will we ever get to see you?" he asked.

"I'll get two days off a week and I can ask Malfoy if I'm allowed visitors at the manor." Hermione said.

It was Ron's turn to sigh. "Well, whatever keeps you happy Mione. But, you better tell us if he tries anything funny, I swear we'll send him to the Ministry faster than he can say pureblood."

"He's not going to throw me in the dungeons or cut out my organs and sell them on the black market." Hermione said with a grin. "He's already paying me extra and giving me a whole wing of his manor. I just might stay there even after his mother passes."

She saw the looks of horror on their faces and she started to laugh. "I'm joking guys, really, just joking."

They laughed uneasily, not really finding it funny, but decided to humor her.

"So is Ellie excited about the engagement party?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, she's been busting my arse about what to wear, what time to show up, who should be invited, what kind of food…the damn list goes on and on." Ron said as he put his feet up.

"Well it's exciting for a girl to plan these things. She's showcasing her need to elicit perfection on an important day for her, to show her friends and family what a wonderful establishment your marriage will be."

"Zzzzzzzz." Ron and Harry pretended to snore. They were used to Hermione rambling about everyone's mental processes.

"Guys!" Hermione said with a smile as she threw a couch pillow at them. "Whenever you speak about Quidditch for hours on end, I don't act like a right git."

"Ah, yes but Quidditch is interesting, and plus we don't treat every human being like a Quidditch player, Mione."

"What does that mean?" Hermione asked with her head cocked to the side.

"Everyone is just another patient to you. Every thought and action that we have is analyzed by you. I'm not saying it to be mean mate, it's just we thought you needed to know. I really don't mean to offend, it doesn't even bother us, but just in case someone else mentions it, we thought we'd prepare you."

"I'm not offended Ron. I know I can be a bit of a hassle, but after everything that I have learned, I just find it interesting that people's actions and thought processes can be traced back to psychology. I'll try and cut back." She said with a grin.

The two boys smiled back at her and they spent their afternoon talking and gossiping about old school friends.

""""""""'Saturday Night""""""""""

"I'm going to miss you so much, Herms." Isabelle said as she stood with Hermione at the fireplace in Hermione's flat.

"You'll see me again. I'll only be a floo call or an owl away, and you'll see me on my days off." Hermione said as she picked imaginary lint off of her blouse.

"I know, but who is going to make fun of Dr. Whore with me and give her caffeinated coffee when she clearly asks for decaf?" Isabelle said with a sad smile.

"I'm going to miss seeing you everyday Belle, but I promise I'll always keep you updated and if I can have visitors, you'll be the first to know."

"I swear I'm going to go crazy at that hospital all by myself. I guess I'll get some of the kiddies to help me torture Dr. Whore. If that Malfoy guy lets you have visitors, you better warn him that I'll be there A LOT!" Isabelle said and then crushed Hermione in a hug. "I really am going to miss you so much!"

"You're starting to sound like Harry. He was spouting the same little speech today at the party. I'm not going to another planet, if you need anything, please just owl me or floo, I'll talk to you guys at any time of day."

"Well, it's eight pm, he'll be expecting you." Isabelle said. "I'll lock up your flat before I leave and I'll tell Ron and Harry you said goodbye."

"Also tell them that I don't mind that they had to catch the European Quidditch Finals instead of seeing me off." Hermione said with a smile. "Hopefully I'll see you guys soon and we'll have much to talk about. Specifically, your date tomorrow night with a certain Boy-Who-Lived."

"Woah, look at the time, I think Malfoy's waiting for you doll." Isabelle said with a slight pink on her cheeks. "Owl me soon!"

Hermione laughed at her friend and hugged her one last time before throwing the floo powder into the fireplace. She stepped into the green flames and shouted 'Malfoy Manor!' after seeing Isabelle wave goodbye.

Floo travel had never really been a favorite mode of transportation for Hermione. It was dusty and made her quite dizzy. She closed her eyes until she felt the spinning stop and she stumbled out of the fireplace into a massive room.

It was empty and really, she didn't know what to expect to find after coming out of the fireplace. Certainly not an empty room. Well, that was fine since she could dust her blouse and knee-length skirt before meeting with her patient. She found a mirror in the corner of the room so she decided to make sure she didn't look like she had just trekked across the Sahara.

The room she was in seemed to be an office of some sort. A large desk, books in shelves along the walls, a couch, a few chairs, and the mirror. She walked up to it and swiped away the ash on her shoulders and wiped her face free of any smudges. She still had the make-up on from the engagement party that Isabelle had tricked her into wearing. Just a bit of eyeliner and light pink shadow.

Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and she looked every bit of a professional that she was. Ever since Isabelle had gotten her to magically straighten her hair, she had to admit that it was much easier to manage and looked a lot better than the wiry mess she had before. She remembered when Isabelle had said that the little frizzy hairs that crowned the front of her head where bangs should have been looked like pubic hairs.

Hermione giggled out loud, remembering how hard she had laughed the first time Isabelle had mentioned that.

"Find your appearance amusing, Granger?" the baritone, silky voice of Draco Malfoy caused her to whip around quickly, startled.

"Oh, I didn't see you there." She said.

The former Slytherin prince was leaning against the back of the couch, watching Hermione through curious eyes. She had to admit that he had grown up a lot, since she had last seen him. He wasn't a skinny teenager anymore, but a young man with a sturdier body.

"I didn't know you were a healer." He said.

"Yes. After Hogwarts I applied for an internship and I've been working there for three years now." Hermione said slowly, wondering when the verbal abuse was going to start, the name-calling, the little acerbic remarks that she was used to from him.

"Hmm." He said, still watching her curiously. "You look different."

"Well it has been three years. I'm not the teenage girl you remember from school."

"No, not age-wise, something else." He said.

"Oh, you're probably referring to my hair. Most people didn't recognize me after my friend convinced me to straighten it."

"Yes that's it." He said. "You don't have that white 'fro anymore."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. "I did not have a white 'fro. It was just a bit frizzed. Besides, how would you know what a white afro is? That's muggle slang."

Draco stared at her strangely. "I read a book about styles, trends and fads once. I know many things that would surprise even you."

She just smiled and looked around the room. "I have to admit Malfoy, that this is a bit awkward. Standing here talking to my former sworn enemy about how horrid my hair was during school. Um, I think we should actually get down to business."

"_Former_?" he asked seriously.

"Well, seeing as how I'm going to be working for you, treating your mother, and living in your home, I didn't think it would be wise for me to send you death glares and hex you every chance I got. I am willing to put the past behind me as long as I stay here, and then the minute I leave you can be my sworn enemy all over again." Hermione said with a slight smile.

"Before we begin, I have to offer my apologies for the way I behaved during school. I wouldn't want the person who had my mother's health in their hands to hold a grudge against her son. I think we should work together professionally." He said with a calculating look.

"You think I would stoop so low as to betray my Hippocratic Oath and purposely harm your mother because you were a turd during our school years? Well, Mr. Malfoy, you'll come to find out that I take my work very seriously and that you could insult me, criticize me, and verbally abuse me all you want and I would still make sure that your mother receives the best care I could give." Hermione said with a bit of an edge to her voice.

"I didn't hear you accept the damned apology I gave, so are you going to or not?" he asked.

"I accept your insulting apology." Hermione said with a roll of her eyes.

"Wonderful." He said stoically. "I'll show you to your wing of the house."

He pushed himself off the couch and walked to the door, holding it open for Hermione to walk through first.

'Well at least he's a gentleman.' She thought to herself.

He led her down the hall. As they walked, she looked around at the walls covered in artwork that she had recognized and some that she didn't. The Manor wasn't as gloomy or scary as she had assumed. The dark green wallpaper was actually very fitting and the hallways were lit with bright lamps, to give a more cheery appearance to such a vast and massive home.

As she walked alongside Draco, she couldn't help but think about how much he really had changed. His hair wasn't slicked back like it used to be in school, and she had to admit that it made him look a lot less snooty. It hung in straight strands that ended with a flip at the end and was brushed casually from his eyes. It gave him a more relaxed and innocent look. His eyes still shone with the light grey that she was used to glaring at, except now it seemed like they held more sadness, more pain. She had seen that look in her clinically depressed patients before, but she didn't think he was depressed, only that he had been through too much for a person their age.

He was still taller than her, even though she had finally reached her final height of five feet, three inches. He was clearly at around six feet or more. She'd have to ask him later.

She had never found him very attractive during school. His ugly personality had prevented her from seeing his true outside appearance. Now that they weren't in the setting of Hogwarts and had each grown up a bit, she could tell that his sharp features had softened with age and now just appeared to be strong. Like his strong jaw and perfect aristocratic nose.

Hermione had had this habit of really looking at a person when she encountered them. She would start at their hair and then look at their eyes, their nose, mouth, chin and neck. She never was superficial, but she was human and she knew humans used appearance as a variable for a link with someone else. He was most likely doing the exact same thing, 'except in a more offensive and insulting way.' She thought.

Draco stayed quiet as he led Hermione down the long hallway. He knew she was looking at him from the corner of her eye. 'Probably wondering when I'm going to stab her with a dagger or start calling her 'mudblood'.' He thought to himself.

He already had the chance to take a look at her when she was standing in front of the mirror, oblivious to his presence.

He had never found her the least attractive when they were in school. She had been downright plain and not worth a second glance. He had to admit now though, that she had become prettier with age. He wouldn't admit it out loud on pain of death, but he was still a male and males noticed when a girl was attractive.

When he had first seen her as she stood in front of the mirror, he had no clue as to who she was. The woman had normal brown hair, which was actually not as normal as one may think. So many girls during school had experimented with highlights and dying and unnatural colors that it was almost rare to see just regular brown hair, and it was kind of endearing.

She had a nice body, average waist that smoothly flowed into feminine hips. She was still shorter than him, but most girls were. When he had figured out who she was and she had turned around, he noticed her soft facial features. Rounded cheek bones and a delicate chin, a perfectly sized nose and a lower lip that was fuller than the top lip, which made her look like she was pouting a bit.

She still had an acidic tongue that he absolutely loathed back at school, but she seemed less edgy, less uptight. He knew that her healer work must have had a hand in that change. His mother's condition had mellowed him out some, but he still was tense most of the time.

They had stopped in front of hickory double doors.

"This is the entrance to your wing of the manor. For your reference, you are located on the third floor on the east end. My mother's chambers are on the west wing of this floor. I put you here, so that if she needs you, you will be close by."

Hermione nodded and watched as he opened the doors, leading to a huge living room with doors leading to other rooms. She looked around the fully furnished room and thought to herself that she had never seen anything nicer.

"This is way too much, Malfoy. I really do thank you for all of this." she said breathlessly.

"I assigned two house-elves to cater to your needs. Their names are Snot and Poopy."

She looked at him strangely with a look that questioned the name choices. He noticed her look and calmly said, "I was four years old when my parents got them and they made the wise decision to let me name them."

Hermione laughed at this. "That could be considered abuse, you know. Naming them something so foul."

"No, they really like their names. I overheard them talking with the other house-elves, and the other ones mentioned how jealous they were of those names." He said.

Hermione smiled. "Well, I guess I'm not going to bother in telling you my views on house-elves, because if I couldn't get my friends to agree, I doubt an ancient pureblood wizarding family would."

"Good, because I would have tuned you out." He said in all seriousness.

"That makes me feel special." She said dully.

Hermione had noticed something since she had first laid eyes on the new Malfoy. He hadn't smiled once. In fact she had never seen him truly smile in all the years she had known him. Smirks and sneers were more his style, but never a genuine, happy smile. He had said some funny things and yet he said them seriously or matter-of-factly, not really with much joyous emotion.

She decided that his little smiling problem could be solved another day.

"Your clothes and personal things were delivered earlier today and the house-elves have already stowed them away." He continued.

"Thank you. This is really very thoughtful." She said.

"Draco!" A hoarse voice shouted his name. "Draco!"

Draco looked towards the door and Hermione knew that Narcissa was calling for her son.

Draco turned back towards Hermione. "Well, you might as well meet her now. Come along." He said and walked swiftly out the door.

Hermione had to almost jog to keep up with his swift pace, plus their difference in leg-lengths didn't help. They walked to the opposite side of the hall, and Draco stopped in front of another set of double doors. He opened one of the doors and allowed Hermione in first.

She saw the beautiful flaxen woman sitting up in bed with a worried look on her face. Hermione had remembered seeing her at the Quidditch world cup six years prior. She had lost the look of smelling something nasty and now she looked positively beautiful. Even with her disheveled blond locks and dark circles beneath her eyes, she was still a gorgeous woman.

Draco walked to the side of the bed his mother was on and Narcissa immediately put her arms around her son's waist.

"I had a nightmare, Draco." she said in a sad tone. "I dreamed that Lucy-Goosey took you away from me and that he was torturing you."

"It's ok mum, I'm right here and he is not going to come and take me away. I already told you that he died three years ago. He can never ever come back and I will never be taken away from you." He said in a tone that implied he had done this more times than he could count.

"Good." Narcissa said, still not letting go of her only child. "Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"I always do." Draco said in a softer voice. "But, first I want to introduce you to someone."

"We have visitors?" she asked, pulling away from him and finally noticing the other person in the room. Hermione had stood at a distance, not wanting to interrupt.

"You can come closer." Narcissa said. "I want to see what you look like."

Hermione stepped closer until she was standing next to Draco.

"You are a very pretty girl. Don't you think so Draco?" Narcissa asked with a soft smile.

"Yes mum, she is very pretty." Draco said in a bored tone. "Now can I introduce her?"

"I'm not stopping you." She said defiantly and leaned back on her pillows.

"This is Hermione Granger. She is going to help me take care of you and I want you to get to know her because she will be living here with us."

"Living here? Are you two married?" Narcissa asked with a confused look.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Would I get married without telling you? Seriously, I'm pretty sure you would kill me if I did."

"Yes I would. I have been planning your wedding since before you were conceived and it would upset me very much if you did something sneaky like that."

"Granger, this is my mum, Narcissa." Draco said.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Malfoy." Hermione said, but was surprised when Narcissa grimaced and cried out.

Draco sighed and put an arm around his mother. "Please, don't call her that. She doesn't like to be acknowledged by my father's name, so please just call her Narcissa, or Cissa, or any variation of that name, but never by my surname."

"I'm sorry." Hermione said as she bit her lip. "Narcissa, I didn't mean to call you that. I hope you can accept my apology."

Narcissa nodded her head slowly and turned to her side. She fell asleep almost instantly. Draco led Hermione back out of the room and into the hallway. This time, Hermione didn't stay silent as they walked back to her wing.

"Is there anything else I shouldn't mention in front of her? So far I can figure out that I shouldn't mention your father's first or last name."

"That's about it."

"That nightmare, where she said Lucy-Goosey took you away, Lucy-Goosey is Lucius?"

"Yes. I have no idea why she says it, but then I don't understand most of the things she says anymore." He said sadly.

"She uses the silly name because it distracts her from the connotation of using his real name. It's a defense mechanism."

"That's good to know." Draco said quietly as they arrived at her double doors. He cleared his throat. "I just want to um, thank you for doing this. I know I'm considered a criminal by the wizarding world and that the things I've done don't really deserve much kindness, but I really appreciate you giving up some of your life to help me. It's very honorable of you." Draco said with a bit of uneasiness.

Hermione realized that he was not used to thanking people, or expressing much authentic feeling.

"It really is no problem. I'm glad to help." Hermione said.

"Well, good night then." He said as he opened the door for her.

"Good night." She said and he nodded before walking off down the hallway.

Hermione closed the door and took a deep breath. This was going be a long, long assignment, and it had barely begun.

* * *

A/N: The title of this chapter comes from the song "High Speed" by Coldplay


	3. I Can't Help Crying

Disclaimer: I do not own HP related things

* * *

**Chapter 3: I Can't Help Crying**

Hermione explored her entire wing of the house, starting with the living room that was painted and furnished in shades of gold and ivory. There was an extremely comfy couch, an antique coffee table, and, the biggest surprise of the night: a television.

'Why on earth does Draco Malfoy have a television in his manor? You'd think it would spontaneously combust upon entrance to the house.' Hermione thought to herself and continued to all the other rooms. Her bedroom was the nicest room of all. It was larger than her entire flat and had a king-sized bed covered in navy blue linens. She looked at the tag on the duvet and it read: 100 percent Egyptian Cotton.

'Geez.' Hermione thought. 'I don't think I've ever owned 100 percent anything.'

She found her clothes neatly hung and folded in the large boudoir against the wall. She pulled out an oversized Quidditch t-shirt that Harry had left at her flat. It was so comfortable that she bought him a new one and kept the worn out one that came down to her knees. It was probably the unsexiest thing she owned, and that was saying something.

She also pulled out a pair of knee-length flannel shorts that were more of a comfort item than pyjamas. A wearable teddy bear, if you will. She put on those pyjamas and lay back on the enormous bed, feeling quite small and unworthy in such luxurious comfort.

She looked at the clock on the wall and it read three am. Time sure does fly by when you're exploring a wing of a manor. Being used to working nights at St. Mungo's, Hermione wasn't sleepy at all and was actually quite hungry. She would be having some sort of lunch/dinner meal about now because usually a shift ended or started at this time. She went into the kitchen she had just explored and found one of the body-expulsion-named house-elves staring at her, waiting in anticipation for an order.

"Um, which one are you again?" Hermione tentatively asked. This house-elf had large indigo eyes and had a greenish skin color.

"Me name is Poopy, Miss. Or you can calls me Poop like Master Draco sometimes does." The house-elf said.

"I think I'll stick to Poopy." Hermione said, wanting to laugh at how ridiculous this conversation must have sounded.

"Would you likes to eats something, Miss?"

"Actually, I was just going to rummage around until I found something. You can go to sleep if you like. No offense, I just would like to explore the food options alone."

"Of course, Miss. Anything you wish." The house-elf bowed and quickly scurried off to an adjoining room.

Hermione looked around the kitchen and then her eyes settled on the pantry. She opened it up to find cans and boxes and bottles of almost everything she could imagine. She found a box of cereal that she had really liked as a child and poured a bowl of it, after finding the china bowls.

She opened the refrigerator and looked around for the milk. To her dismay, there was absolutely no sign of any milk. 'Why is there no milk? Isn't that an essential refrigerator item? He has smoked salmon and foie gras here, but no bloody milk? I doubt my cereal will taste very good with pinot noir.' She thought as she eyed the rare and exquisite bottles and packages in the fridge.

She sighed and looked at her dry cereal. She really, really wanted to have some of that cereal, but it would be like sandpaper without milk. 'There has to be some, somewhere in this house.'

She made up her mind to go and find the master kitchen and get the milk that she so desired. She left her kitchen and opened the double doors that led to the hallway. The manor lights had been turned off and it was almost pitch black in the hall.

Hermione's wand was all the way in the bedroom and she decided that she could probably find the kitchen using the little moonlight that shown through sporadic windows located at the ends of the hallways. Plus, she didn't want to wake anyone with the light from her wand.

So, in her lovely nighttime apparel, she ventured out into the hall and tiptoed until she found the stairs. Malfoy had told her that she was located on the third floor and she knew from reading about ancient manors that the master kitchen was always on the first floor.

She went slowly down the stairs until she reached the second floor. The stairs that led to the first floor were located on the other end of the hallway. 'Whoever built this house must have wanted the inhabitants to exercise in order to get around.' Hermione thought as she quietly walked down the hall. The hallway of the second floor closely resembled the one on the third floor, with many rooms and two wings. She passed by a pair of double doors, which were located near the stairway she just came from. She smiled to herself at the success of making it this far with no light.

She knew she had just jinxed herself when her bare foot caught on the end of the rug and she went flying to the floor, causing a vase standing on a column to fall down right with her. The crash and the vase breaking made a trillion times more noise since it was dead quiet in the house.

A few seconds later, the light in the hallways turned on and the double doors Hermione had just passed flew open. Standing in the doorway was Draco himself, wearing a navy, untied, silk robe, with just cotton pants underneath. He had his wand out in front of him and his hair was a bit messy, from sleeping.

"What the hell?" he said, blinking to get used to the light and then his eyes landed on the cause of the noise. "Granger?"

"I am so, so, so sorry, Malfoy. I will pay for the vase and I'm really, really sorry for waking you."

"It's ok," he said, holding a hand out to help her up. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, I'm fine. I just tripped on that rug. I'm really sorry about the vase. You can take it out of my pay," she said, while starting to pick up the shattered pieces.

"No, I'll get it," he said and waved his wand. The pieces landed in a pile and then disappeared.

"Goodness, I feel awful Malfoy, I really do," she said with her hand on her chin, looking anywhere except the accusatory eyes of her employer. 'Why does he have to look like a goddamn male model in that robe and pants while I clearly look like Oliver bloody Twist in these rags?'

"Don't worry about it. We have enough vases in this house to furnish the Indian subcontinent," he said, running his hand through his hair. "What are you doing up at," he looked at the clock in the hallway, "three am?"

"I wanted to go down to the kitchen and get some milk for my cereal," she said.

"But it's three a.m.," he said.

"Yes, well I'm so used to being up at this hour because of my night shifts that I usually eat a meal right about now," she said, watching him roll his wand between his fingers.

"But it's three a.m.," he repeated.

"I didn't know a talking clock was another luxury I would receive at Malfoy Manor," she said with a hint of a smile.

"I didn't know a nocturnal healer was part of the deal," he replied.

"Well, I'm really sorry I woke you."

"Why didn't you use your wand for light?" he asked with his eyebrow raised.

"I didn't want to wake anyone up with the light," she said, realizing how stupid that sounded.

"So tripping on a rug and scaring the living shit out of me was a safer alternative than waking me up with a light?"

"Yes, ok I'll admit that wasn't very smart, but what's done is done," she said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm on a milk-hunt."

"Good luck with that and try not to set off a bomb the next time you don't want to wake anyone up."

"I'll try," she said with a sugary smile.

He turned back into his room and closed the door. He left the hallway lights on, so as to not be awakened in a similar manner.

Hermione finally found her way to the master kitchen and after being accosted by 17 different house-elves, found the milk. She took the bottle with her and was promised by an over-eager house-elf that she would always have a fresh stock of milk in her kitchen.

She managed to make her way back to her wing, without tripping or waking up the world. She grabbed the cereal and sat in the living room eating it and watching the television.

She watched an infomercial for a vacuum that could work underwater and after she was finished with her cereal she forced herself to sleep, since tomorrow she would start the treatment for her patient.

Hermione awoke the next morning at nine am. She could always be counted on to be refreshed after only a few hours of sleep, a perfect characteristic for her job. She walked into the bathroom and did the necessities.

Even though she lived there, Hermione still had to look professional, since she was actually doing her job. She decided to wear black slacks and a lavender button down shirt. She left her hair down and clipped half of it back. She skipped the makeup and put her black heels on. 'Isabelle would be proud.' Hermione thought.

She usually wore scrubs to work and casual clothes out, but since this was a private patient, Hermione wanted to dress proficiently and with an air of class. Or, that's what she told herself.

She grabbed her clipboard, Narcissa's file, and the notes she had written previously. Hermione never bothered with breakfast, what with her body not being used to normal human mealtimes. She left her wing of the house and knocked on Narcissa's door.

There was no response, so Hermione opened the door and checked inside. She didn't find her, so she left the room and went to look for Draco. Maybe he knew where she was.

She went down the stairs and knocked on the double doors she had tripped by last night. There was also no answer. She wasn't going to open his door and catch him half naked or worse, fully naked, so she went in search of a house-elf who could tell her where everyone was.

"Hello, Snot. Could you tell me where I could find your Master or Mistress?" Hermione asked.

"They are out in the garden. They sits there every morning," Snot replied. "I show you where it is."

"Thank you, Snot," Hermione said and followed the house-elf down to the first floor and into the foyer, which had Greek columns and marble flooring. He then led her to two large glass doors that opened to a beautiful, fragrant garden. There was a plethora of flowers and plants that Hermione had recognized and some that she had never seen before. There were roses of every color and size, lilies, orchids, mimosa trees, multi-colored tulips, and Hermione's favorites, gardenias.

She spotted Narcissa and Draco sitting in the middle of the garden, on intricately carved chairs and having tea at an equally intricately carved table. She walked up to the table and sat in an empty chair.

"Good morning, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said as she put her notes and clipboard down.

"No, you're welcome to join us," Draco said politely.

"Draco, could I possibly speak to you in private?" Hermione said, remembering not to call him by his last name, as to not upset Narcissa.

He got up and led her to the hedge maze, where they could talk without Narcissa overhearing them. He waited for her to speak.

"I wanted to start her mental conditioning today," Hermione said. "Preferably right now."

"You're the healer; you can do whatever you need, whenever you need to," he said.

"Yes, but I need to keep you updated on all the treatments I use. I'm going to try using an Interrogative Comprehension to get her used to the conditioning. You're welcome to join us, but I need you to know that you may not interrupt us no matter what," she explained.

"No matter what?" he asked with a puzzled look.

"She might become uncomfortable at points because of the questioning, but you absolutely cannot interfere even if she begs. I know that might be difficult for you to handle, but she really needs to do this on her own. It might upset you at some points, but if you're going to stay and observe, I need your word that you won't disrupt the proceedings."

Draco looked hesitant. He did not like the thought of his mother being put through emotional stress purposely, but Hermione obviously knew what she was doing. She was a professional after all, despite wearing pyjamas that should have been used to wrap animal carcasses in.

He nodded hesitantly.

"I need you to say it Malfoy. It is imperative that she gets through this on her own, or her recovery could essentially never happen."

"Ok, I promise that I won't interfere," he said.

"I'm going to have my quill automatically record your mother's words, so I need your permission before I do that."

"Yes that's fine."

"Great. We should head back before she worries," she said and began walking away from the maze with Draco following.

Hermione took the seat closest to Narcissa and Draco sat across from them.

"Where did you two go?" Narcissa asked, fiddling with a tulip.

"We went over to the hedge maze," Hermione answered. "Narcissa?"

"Yes?"

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"Very well. I had a nice dream about flying a broom, but I don't remember much."

"Not many people do remember their dreams. Usually, they remember funny ones or strange ones." Hermione replied.

"Oh I do remember a funny one that I had a long time ago." Narcissa said with a soft smile.

"Would you share it with me?"

"When I was pregnant with Draco, you know how they say that pregnant women have the strangest dreams, well in my dream I had just come back from the Healer's office and she had told me that I was going to have a girl. I told the house-elves in my dream to start painting the nursery pink and to buy all pink and white clothing. At the end of the dream, it turned out that I had a little boy instead of a girl so I put him in the pink room and dressed him in all the little pink clothes." Narcissa said with a laugh.

Hermione smiled. "You know, a lot of women dream about what gender their baby will be. Your dream might have meant that you've always secretly wanted a little girl and you had a boy instead, but that you still loved him regardless."

"I have always wanted to have a daughter, but when Draco was born, those thoughts left my head and I put all of my time and devotion into him. He was the cutest babe; chubby cheeks and the sweetest pink lips. He was like a little cherub," Narcissa said as she looked at her son. "Now, he's a grown man but I still think of him as my little baby Draco."

Hermione wasn't really into dream interpretation but that one had been too easy to pass up. She also had a tough time getting the image of a cute little baby Draco out of her head. "Narcissa, would you like to try something?"

"Like what?" Narcissa asked.

"Well, since I'm going to be living here, I was wondering if maybe you and I could get to know each other better."

"That sounds lovely. How do you suggest we go about doing that?"

"Well, let's try a little exercise where we take turns asking each other questions. I'll let you start and you can ask me anything you want, and I will answer truthfully. I'm not going to lie to you, Narcissa, so you can ask about any subject or any topic and I will give you an honest answer, and I'd like for you to do the same."

"Ok, that sounds nice. Is Draco going to join as well?"

"Well, you already know Draco, so it's not really necessary and I know him from school, so it will be just the two of us," Hermione said.

"What should I ask you first?" Narcissa wondered out loud.

"Anything." Hermione said.

Narcissa thought for a moment. "Where were you born?"

"I was born in Essex, which is not too far from here."

"I have a sister who lives there. I'm not allowed to speak of her," Narcissa said plainly.

Hermione made sure this information was dictated by the quill to be used for future questioning. She decided to start out with a simple question.

"What was your favorite thing to do as a child?"

"Hmm," Narcissa thought aloud. "My favorite thing was when my parents would take my sisters and me over to our cousins' house. I was the youngest out of all of us and my older cousin, Sirius, would throw me on his shoulders and we would play all of these fun games all day. Every weekend I made sure that we got to go visit with them." Narcissa said happily.

"I've met Sirius. He was a very nice man." Hermione said.

"Yes, he was. But then Lucy-Goosey told me that my older sister Bellatrix had hurt Sirius a few years ago. I don't know what actually happened. Do you?"

"Yes Narcissa, I do know. It's not very good news so do you still want me to tell you?"

Narcissa nodded her head.

"Five years ago, Sirius was killed at the Ministry of Magic by your sister Bellatrix. He died fighting for a cause he believed in dearly, so he died a happy man," Hermione offered.

Narcissa just sat there thinking. "I miss him," she finally said.

"I'm certain you do. He had a noble soul and I was pleased to have met him."

"Can I ask you another question?" Narcissa asked.

"Of course."

"Are you married?"

"No," Hermione replied. "I don't have much time to find a husband because I work at a hospital and it takes a lot of my time."

"You shouldn't get married," Narcissa said violently, which made one of Draco's eyebrows rise.

Hermione also noticed the harshness in Narcissa's voice. "Why do you say that, Narcissa?"

"When you get married, horrible things will happen." Narcissa said.

"Like what?"

"Like…like…horrible things," she said, pulling the petals off of the flower in her hand.

"Can you explain what type of horrible things?" Hermione asked.

Narcissa just shook her head.

Hermione decided it was time to head into the hardest part of the exercise. "Narcissa, are you married?"

Narcissa looked up from the flower and into Hermione's eyes. "I was."

"You were? What happened?"

"My husband died a while ago," Narcissa said, her breathing becoming a bit choppy.

"How did he die?"

"I don't know. He just did. I wasn't there, but Draco tells me that he did die," Narcissa said, as her eyes darted around the garden.

"What was his name?" Hermione asked, knowing that this could be the breaking point.

"I don't know," Narcissa said.

"I'd really like to know his name. I'm sure you know it since you were married for so long."

Narcissa shook her head. Her lips turning into a pout.

"Is his name Lucius Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

Narcissa started to cry. "I don't want to answer any more questions."

Draco shot Hermione a dangerous look, but she shot him one back that reminded him that he wasn't to interfere or do anything. He clenched one of his fists but stayed quiet and watched as his mother cried, his heart slowly constricting.

"Narcissa, it is important for you to say his name, for you to hear his name. It's just a name and it's not going to bring him back or hurt you. You don't have to say all of it. Just say his first name."

Narcissa shook her head again, sniffling. "He was a bad man. He was a bad man who did bad things."

"Say his first name, Narcissa, please," Hermione said with more force.

"Lu... Lu... Luci," Narcissa stuttered but then put her hands to her face. "I can't! I can't! No more! No more names or questions! Draco, I want to go inside."

Draco looked away from the sight of his mother falling apart. It hurt too much and he knew that he couldn't meddle because he had given his word.

"Narcissa, you can't leave this garden until you say his name. I'm not doing this to hurt you. I only want to help you. When you say his name, it can be your way of defeating him just a little bit."

Narcissa wiped her cheeks, but tears still flowed. "Lucius," she whispered.

Hermione sighed, glad that this part was over. "Thank you, Narcissa. I appreciate the fact that you told me his name. I'm sorry I upset you and I hope you can forgive me."

"I had a hat named pepper, once," Narcissa said, a schizophrenic fit about to begin.

"You mean, you had a cat named pepper?"

"No, it was a hat prime minister and it swam Draco after moonlight to go to bed now in a museum to the newspaper," she said.

"Would you like to have some more tea, Narcissa?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, tea is yellow to the polaksitipitil." she replied, the degree of the schizophrenic fit slowly rising.

Hermione pulled a small glass phial out of her pant pocket. She got up from the table and walked over to where Draco sat. She bent down and slipped the phial into his hand. She placed her mouth near his ear.

"Put the potion in her tea without her seeing. It will make her fall asleep and ease the symptoms of this schizophrenic fit she is having. Come up to my office when she's asleep," she said in a whisper and left the garden.

Draco nodded and had to suppress a shiver when she whispered in his ear like that. He didn't think anything of it, because anytime someone whispered in his ear, it made him shiver, always involuntarily. He slipped the potion into his mother's tea while she was still babbling and he waited for her to drink it. He helped her up to her room when she started yawning and looking drowsy.

As she had told him, Draco showed up and knocked on the double doors to Hermione's wing. She opened the door and led him into the office that he had set up for her. She took a seat behind the desk and he took one of the two seats in front of the desk.

"Did she take the potion?" Hermione asked as she wrote something down.

Draco nodded.

Hermione looked up at him and noticed that he was bothered.

"I'm really sorry, Malfoy. I know that must have been hard for you to witness, but that's probably one of the tamest exercises I have to complete. It will only get harder from here on out."

"She does that a lot, you know," he said as he stared into the fireplace on the right side of the room.

"Does what?"

"Sometimes when I'm speaking with her, she'll talk normally and then she'll start making up words and saying sentences that make no sense. That's when I first noticed something was wrong."

"Incoherence is the symptom where she uses sentences that have no meaning and neologisms are the words that she makes up. This is very common in patients who have schizophrenia," Hermione explained.

Draco sighed. "I don't think I want to watch the treatments anymore."

"I can understand why you wouldn't want to, but I think you really should be there." Hermione said, coming around to sit next to him.

"Really?" he asked, watching as she took the seat next to his.

"You need to see what brought her to this condition in the first place. It is beneficial to you as her primary caretaker and as her son to be there with her as she relives the memories that I am trying to extract from her. I really recommend you being there, plus, she seems to find comfort from you and it's always best if she feels comfortable when bringing out these thoughts," she said kindly.

Draco sighed again. "Ok, fine."

"I want you to know that I'm not as heartless as I may seem when I'm treating her. I have to detach myself from my emotions when I'm counseling a patient, so don't think I get my kicks off of her pain or anything." Hermione said. "When I first started my psychiatric rotation, I cried at home every day for seven months. I'm not even exaggerating. Every day, I would go home and just cry myself to sleep. There were so many people who were hurt, scared, lost, confused, and alone. My mentor had to train me rigorously so that I could separate my feelings from my work."

Draco just stared intensely at her.

She continued. "I think I'm done for today. I don't want to wear her out on the first day, although I might need to ask you some questions about her and what you remember of her before she was diagnosed."

"That's fine. How about after lunch, three pm? I have some business to attend to before then," he said, standing up.

Hermione's eyebrow quirked. "If you don't mind me asking, what sort of business? I didn't think the Ministry would ever let you have a job anywhere."

Draco looked at her thoughtfully. "I do the finances for Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall hired me to take care of all the business accounts and financial advising for the school since I could never have a job doing something else. I don't get paid because I don't really need the money. My family's assets and my inheritances from both the Malfoy and Black families are more than enough to last several generations. I do the work because it helps keep me from going insane."

Hermione stopped her jaw from dropping. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah. I also read. Read almost every book in the Malfoy library. It's rumored that we have more books than Hogwarts."

"Really?" Hermione asked as her interest piqued.

"Yes, I prefer to read about the liberal arts though. History, geography, art, politics, theology. But that's a topic we can save for another time. I'll see you at three," he said and left the room.

Hermione stared at the closed door and thought about what Malfoy had just told her. _'I do the work because it helped keep me from going insane.'_

He didn't deserve to live like this. Nobody did. Hermione sighed and went back to reading what the quill had dictated during her treatment with Narcissa.

* * *

A/N: The title comes from the song "Gravity" by Embrace.


	4. You Say I'm Not Your Type

Disclaimer: No ownership 

The chapter title comes from the song, "If I Never See Your Face Again" by Maroon 5

* * *

**Chapter 4: You Say I'm Not Your Type**

At three on the dot, Hermione showed up outside Malfoy's double doors and knocked. He opened the door for her and led her to his own office. She sat down on the couch that was near his desk and he took a seat on the other end of the couch. "Did you finish your work?" Hermione asked as she got out her quill and set it to automatically dictate the conversation.

"Yes," he said as he put his legs up on the coffee table in front of him.

_Well it's good that he's getting comfortable around me,_ she thought.

"Are you ready to start?"

"Start what?" he asked, leaning his head against the back of the couch. 

"I'm going to ask you a few questions about your mother, a few about your experiences with her." 

"Okay," he said and closed his eyes. "Are you going to fall asleep on me?" she asked. 

"Nope," he said. 

"I guess I'll start then. Now, can you tell me how your mother was during your childhood?" she asked and watched him. 

"When I was younger, before I went to Hogwarts, she never really showed any problems. She was just a regular mum. Took care of me, played games with me, read me stories before I went to bed, those sorts of things," he opened his eyes and looked at Hermione. 

"She never seemed upset or afraid?" Hermione asked. 

"Not that I can recall. She would always smile whenever she'd see me; she would also laugh a lot. I'm guessing that maybe she was trying to put on a mask for me, so that I wouldn't suspect anything wrong was with her." 

"You're probably right. Her file says that she was abused very early on in her marriage and she probably repressed those abuses and covered them up whenever you were around," Hermione said. "A lot of victims of spousal abuse do that when they have children." Draco just nodded. "Can you tell me more about your childhood Malfoy, what you remember of it? Just start with your earliest memories," Hermione asked. 

Draco thought for a moment. "My earliest memory would probably be the time when my parents bought me the house-elves that are in your wing. I wasn't yet old enough to understand servitude so I treated them like pets, or friends. I would try to play with them, but they always said that I would get into trouble if my father caught me. I was so stubborn though; I would follow them around and spook them, and just try and play with them but it never worked." 

"That's a tough form of rejection at such a young age," Hermione said. "Did your father ever find out?" 

"No, he wasn't around much when I was younger. I knew deep down that I never loved him. Even as a father. I used to tell my mum that I wanted to run away and take her with me to some faraway place, where he wouldn't bother us. He never hit me or abused me in any way, but his words cut deeply enough." 

"That's a form of abuse, emotional abuse he inflicted on you with his words. Not many people consider it to be abuse, but it can sometimes be more detrimental than physical or sexual abuse." 

"Well, then my mother got the package deal. All three of those," he said with a hint of malice in his voice. 

"Can I ask you what took you to the point of becoming a Death Eater?" she boldly asked. 

Draco looked into her eyes. Her brown eyes, they weren't honey or golden with specks of whatever, they were just brown. They were a startling contrast to his light grey eyes, which could give away his emotions if he didn't conceal them. He found her 'just brown' eyes to have a mysterious quality. Dark, hidden, and mysterious. Hermione noticed that he had paused and still hadn't answered her. "It's okay Malfoy, you don't have to answer, I know that's a personal question and we can move on." 

He kept looking into her eyes, making her feel a bit as if she was the one under the spotlight. "No, it's fine. I want to answer, I just don't know how." 

"Take your time, I'll be here awhile," she said with a smile. 

"My father really left me no choice. He told me that I was worth nothing since I couldn't even beat a muggleborn at school, couldn't beat Potter at Quidditch, and couldn't even make friends with the right people. To him, I was worthless. He said the only way he could even begin to show any pride in me was if I joined the Death Eaters. So, like any idiot would, I did." 

"You weren't an idiot. You were a normal teenage boy looking for at least some affection from the primary male-figure in your life. You needed the reassurance that you weren't a total screw-up in your father's eyes and plus, you were taught from a very young age that hate and violence were the ways to solve your problems." 

"Yes, but I was old enough to make my own decisions, and I still chose to serve the Dark Lord," he said. 

"You were only sixteen, Malfoy. That age is a confusing, emotional, troubled time for every teenager. You want to have independence and yet you still depend on your parents for care and attention. Try not to blame yourself too much, because any person in your position with a father like Lucius Malfoy would have done the exact same thing." 

"I really am sorry for calling you those names back at school. Looking back on it, I feel like I was such an immature child." 

"It's okay. We've all grown up, realized our mistakes and it's time we move on," she said, studying the way his lips almost turned upward, but then stopped. _Damn,_ she thought. _So close._

"Can I ask you some questions, or are you not finished psychoanalyzing me?" he asked with a serious face. 

"I'm not psychoanalyzing you. I was seeing if maybe your past experiences could help with your mother." 

"You _were_ psychoanalyzing me; you probably didn't even realize it. Everything I said, you had an explanation for. You must do it a lot for you not to notice."

She just stared at him, in awe that he could figure her out so quickly. "Well, I'm sorry if you feel that way, and yes I might tend to scrutinize people's thoughts, but it is my job." 

"You use the left side of your brain," he said out of nowhere.

"Excuse me?" she asked. 

"You tend to focus on explanations, anything that has proof, mathematics, laws, functions, scientific proof. If you can't explain it, then you'd rather not worry about it. I'm guessing that's why you didn't like Divination, also why you might not have an appreciation for art and music, because those things need emotions and feelings in order to be understood," he said thoughtfully looking over her soft facial features. 

"So you're saying I don't have emotions or feelings?" she asked curiously. 

"I'm not saying that you don't, just that you don't use them to think. You use reason, rationality and logic to explain things and to understand them. That's why you use the left side of your brain more. The right side is for emotion and sensation and passion. That's why artists, musicians are passionate people, emotional people, sensitive people, because they use the right neurological hemisphere." 

"How do you know all of this? It's an advanced level of cognitive studies," she said, amazed that he knew so much, and that he had described her to a T. 

"I told you I read a lot after the war. I still do," he replied. 

"Which are you?" she asked. 

"You mean, which side of the brain do I use?" 

"Yes," she replied.

"Guess." 

She thought for a moment, thinking about everything he had told her so far. "Your right side." 

"Why do you think that?" he asked, interested in her answer.

"Because you told me that you preferred to read about the liberal arts. You tend to think with your heart instead of your head. I can tell because of the way you treat your mother. You'll do anything to help her, even put her in the care of your former enemy. Also, as a child you would act on your emotions, fear and anger," she said. 

Draco nodded to what she said. "So if put together, we could make a whole brain." 

She laughed at this and for the first time, Draco smiled. It wasn't a grin or toothy smile, just a nice closed-mouth smile that made his face seem softer and gentler. 

"You smiled," she dumbly stated out loud.

"Excuse me?" he asked, the smile replace by a confused look.

"I just noticed that you smiled for the first time that I think I've ever seen," she said, diverting her eyes.

"Oh," he said simply. "Have you figured out why, Miss Psychotherapist?" 

She looked back at him and saw him smiling again. She couldn't help but smile back. He really did look nice with a smile gracing his features and not a frown or a straight line. "You just don't have a lot of things to smile about, so you tend not to," she said. 

"So, why am I smiling now?" he asked. 

"I'm not _that_ talented at my job; you're going to have to figure that out on your own," she said with an eyebrow raised.

"So, back to my original question before you sidetracked me," he said. "Can I ask you some questions?"

"I'm not sure I follow your line of thinking. It's almost as if you want to get to know me," Hermione said. 

"Well, you are living in my house and treating my mother AND asking questions about me, so I think it only fair to reciprocate the gesture," he said. 

"Okay, you can ask me, but no funny business," she said as she stopped the quill from dictating and put away her notes. 

"Funny business? What do you think I'm going to ask: when do you get your menstrual cycle?" he asked with a suppressed smirk. 

"Malfoy! Okay, I don't want to be asked questions. Thank you for your time," she said and got up from the couch. 

"Oh keep your damn knickers on, woman, it was a bloody joke. Now sit back down." 

She turned to look at him; he had that same smile he had first given her._ Damn that smile,_ she thought. _I'm beginning to think I liked it better when he didn't use it_. "Fine, but like I said, none of that nonsense," she said, ungracefully sitting back on the couch. 

"Okay, so now I know what subject to avoid," he said jokingly, but she shot him an annoyed look, which softened when she saw he was clearly enjoying himself. "Are you still friends with Potter and Weasley?" 

"Yes. They are more like family though, not friends," she said. 

"Don't you get tired of having only male friends?" 

"I have a female friend. A very good one. Her name is Isabelle and she's also a Healer. Oh, I was meaning to ask you, would it be alright if I could have friends here?" she asked. 

"Why are you asking my permission?" he asked. 

"Because this is your house."

"As long as your friends don't turn me in to the Ministry, you're welcome to invite whomever you want." 

"Thank you," she said and noticed a slight awkward pause fill the room. 

Draco broke the silence. "What do you know about the people we went to school with?" he asked. 

"I don't think I understand your question," she said. 

"Well, I obviously don't keep in contact with anybody, so what is everybody up to these days? They must have much more interesting lives than staying at home with their mentally unstable mothers," he said with a quiet sadness. Hermione had the urge to reach over and just hug him. He looked as though he hadn't been properly hugged in a long, long time. She immediately ceased those thoughts, wondering what on earth had come over her. 

She paused before answering. "Well, I don't really know much, I'm not really into all the gossip and I work a lot, so I don't really keep up. Um, I know that Lavender and Seamus are seeing each other, Isabelle swears that Lavender looks pregnant, but Harry swears that she just let herself go a bit," she said and paused when Draco chuckled. A nice, deep-voiced chuckle that made her smile.

"I didn't think Potter would be much of a gossip," he said. 

"Oh yeah, he's awful, I get all of my information from him and Isabelle. They're actually a couple now and I couldn't be happier for them," she said and continued on with what she knew. 

"The last time I checked, Neville was the Herbology apprentice at Hogwarts and I don't know if he's seeing anyone or not. Ginny Weasley moved to America with some Texas oil guy and I haven't really heard from her in a while. Pansy Parkinson got divorced for the third time and now she has a lot of money from her exes. Um, Parvati and Padma Patil opened a fashion store in Diagon Alley; well ok it's not a fashion store, more like a lingerie boutique," Hermione said with a slight pink on her cheeks. Draco just nodded along as she spoke. "Let's see, uh, Ron got engaged earlier this month." 

"Really? Weasley got engaged to someone other than you?" Draco asked with a surprised look. 

"We only dated for a week before we realized how weird it was," Hermione said. "Her name is Ellie and she is so much like him. They have very similar personalities and they fit faultlessly together; I mean, that's what makes them so perfect."

"Because they are so similar, they are perfect for each other?" he asked. 

"Yes. I read a case study once that claimed that people are attracted to people who share similar beliefs, act in similar ways and think the same way. So, in actuality, that study proved one of those sayings wrong; the saying that opposites attract. According to their research, opposites don't actually attract, but similarities do." 

"So you must be pretty disappointed about that saying being false," he said with a serious look. 

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

He got up from the couch and headed towards the door. She watched him open the door that led to his living room and turn back to her. "Because now you and I don't have a chance," he said with a sly smile and left the room, leaving her dumbstruck and blinking like an idiot.


	5. Always Have and Never Hold

Disclaimer: None of this thing you call ownership exists here.

A/N: The title for this chapter comes from the song "Look after You" by the Fray, and for the last chapter, the title came from the song "If I Never See Your Face Again" by Maroon 5.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Always Have and Never Hold**

'He has to be joking.' Hermione thought to herself as Draco had just shut the door to his office and left. 'That's what it was, just a joke. I guess I can see the humor in it, but what if he wasn't joking? Ok, so if he was joking, then it's no big deal. But if he wasn't joking, does that mean what I think it means? Does he think that I would be disappointed because we don't have a chance? That is so stupid, he doesn't even know me. But why did…."

Her thoughts were cut off as the door reopened and Draco walked in, casual and sophisticated, as usual, and sat down in the chair behind his desk, facing her on the couch.

"I know what you're doing." He said as he looked at her confused features.

"What am I doing?" she asked, hoping he missed the slight squeak in her voice.

"You're analyzing the hell out of what I just told you."

"What? No I'm not." She said with an air of defense.

"Yes you are. Let me help you out." He said as he leaned forward on his desk, crossing his arms on the surface.

She looked at him, waiting for him to continue. He had a look of triumph on his face and his smile had changed to a half smirk.

"I knew the minute I left that you were going to have this inner conflict about the meaning of my words. Here's the real meaning: I said what I said so that you could just take it as it is. Take it as the joke I meant it to be. I think you have been trained so well as a neuropsychiatrist that you don't take things superficially anymore. Everything has to have a meaning, but some things don't. They are just words and sometimes they are meant to be exactly what they are."

'Wait, who is the therapist here; me or him?' Hermione thought as she watched Draco unbend a paperclip. "Um, I knew you were joking." She finally said.

"Good, because I was." He said. "I think you have lovely lips."

"What?" She asked, taken aback. She was about to think of what he had just said when he spoke again.

"Don't think about it. Just take it as a compliment. Don't stress and try to figure out the deep meaning as to why I would say you have lovely lips, because it's a compliment, from me to you. A compliment showing you that I think you have nice lips, what with the lower lip a bit fuller than the top, giving you a look as if you're pouting."

"You're testing me, aren't you?" She said with a suspicious look. "You know that I analyze most of the things that people tell me, and you're just yanking my chain. What are you going to gain from making me look like an idiot?" she asked with a huff.

"I'm not trying to make you look like an idiot. I thought that maybe you should learn how to use that right side of the brain you've neglected. Just take things at face-value. Plus, I really do think you have nice lips." He said with a thoughtful look.

She studied him carefully. He seemed to be telling the truth. "Does it bother you so much that I use the left side of my brain? Are you trying to convert me to using the right side so that we can be similar, and therefore, you can have that chance with me? You know, similarities attract." Hermione said with a triumphant smirk, one that could have wiped the floor with Draco Malfoy's stupid smirk.

Draco didn't reply. He did smile, though, and he did laugh.

"I'm not trying to change you Granger. People like you because of the way you think, and I don't believe it's my place to mess with that. I just wanted to see if my predictions were true."

"Were they?"

"Yes, but that's no reason to get upset. It's just who you are." He said as he bent the paperclip back into its original shape.

"Well this has been a productive session." Hermione said.

"Session? I thought you were just asking me questions about my mother."

"That wasn't a session, this was. Your little mind games. You really are too smart for your own good. You probably could have made Head Boy if you had been there for your seventh year." She said.

"McGonagall allowed me to facilitate courses by correspondence. She would send me the assignments for all the classes; I would do them and then send them back."

"Well at least you got to finish your schooling."

Draco nodded. Before any awkward silence could fill the room, one of the house-elves apparated into Draco's office.

"Master Draco, Mistress Narcissa wishes to see you and the Healer." The house-elf announced before apparating back to wherever he had come from.

Hermione followed Draco as he led her out to Narcissa's wing. Narcissa was sitting by the window in a beautiful green silk robe, looking as exquisite as ever. She smiled at Draco when he came and stood next to her, kissing her softly on the cheek.

"How did you sleep, mother?"

"Fine, thank you. I'm very hungry though. I would like something to eat." She said as she took her son's hand in hers and stood up.

"We can have dinner a bit early if you'd like." He said as he walked with her to the door, Hermione following closely behind.

"Yes, I would like that. Can Hermione eat with us as well?"

"If she wants to, she is welcome to join us."

* * *

The three of them sat down to a nice dinner. Exchanging small talk, complimenting the food, and just conversing about regular day-to-day things. Hermione tried to keep her mind off of the conversation she had had with Malfoy, but every time he smiled at something or looked at her while she spoke, her mind would take a freight train back to those thoughts.

She wanted to find some meaning to his words, but when he had called her out like that, it was as if her brain had stopped doing the usual. He was right. She did scrutinize every little thing around her, but he mentioned that it's what made people like her to begin with.

He had told her before they began, that this was a professional situation, business-like. So why was he doing all of these things? It was almost as if they were friends; exchanging silly, teasing banter with each other as if they had known each other for years. Well, they did know each other for years, just not on the best terms.

Draco did apologize though. He wanted to start fresh, maybe give a chance to a possible friendship. This was the real Draco that she was experiencing, not the little snot from school, but this uninhibited man who had been through things that Hermione could probably never understand, no matter how much she analyzed.

But was it really a friendship he was after? He did say that he wanted a professional relationship, so maybe that's all it was. He was her employer and she, his employee. He didn't have to speak to her outside of the business with his mother.

Hermione looked up from her thoughts and saw Draco watching her with a knowing smile. He knew what she was thinking about. It was easy to guess since she had poked at the same carrot fifty times and kept pursing her lips together and moving them left and right.

He thought to himself, wondering why he kept looking at her lips. Back at school, when someone spoke to him he would watch how their lips moved, because he never felt comfortable staring people in the eyes until after the war. Her lips stuck out to him though, as he had noticed before, she did have a sort of pouty look to her and when she was deep in thinking they would move from left to right, right to left.

In his mind, he knew he was headed for trouble. Watching a girl's lips like that could never lead to anything safe. It had been so long since he had spoken to a girl, besides his mother of course, and he wondered if the lack of females in his life was the reason for his little staring problem. He didn't find anything wrong with Granger; in fact, she was actually attractive. But she wasn't breathtakingly beautiful, she was pretty though, and sometimes pretty was better than elaborated beauty.

She was smart. No, scratch that. She was exceedingly intelligent and that made her a much more interesting person than a run of the mill gorgeous female. She also had a deep compassion for what she did. She had confessed that it had taken her seven months to stop crying every night, just from sympathy for others. She didn't know them, yet she still felt their pain and their hurt.

Draco wondered if she sensed his own pain: the memories he had tried to rid himself of, the things that he had seen Death Eaters do, the things he had seen Death Eaters do to his own mother. He wasn't ready to share those things with Hermione. She was a professional and she was there to help, but the memories he had were too gruesome and too close to his heart. If he shared them, he would be opening his heart to her and he did not want to do that.

His thoughts were broken when his mother asked him a question.

"Draco, dear, can you read that story to me after our pudding. We have yet to finish it and I'm curious as to how it ends."

"Yes, that would be fine. Healer Granger, would you like to join us?"

Hermione looked up at the sound of her name. "Um, join you for what?"

"Usually after dinner, I read to my mother from one of the books in our library. We usually talk about the story together and I think it would help you get to know her a bit better." He said with a touch of a hint in his voice.

"Oh yes, of course. That would be lovely." She said and took a sip from her water.

Hermione sat in one of the overstuffed armchairs in the Malfoy library. Narcissa sat next to her in a similar armchair as Draco looked for the book.

"So Narcissa, what types of stories do you like to listen to?" Hermione asked, her quill secretly dictating the conversation.

"I love all types of stories. Romance, mystery, non-fiction, historical, anything that Draco wishes to read, I'll listen to it." She said. "His voice is so nice to listen to and it makes me feel content."

Hermione inwardly agreed. Draco did have a soothing voice. Deep, soft, and he always knew the right words to use. She especially liked the way licked his lips before he spoke. Wait, now _she_ was thinking of _his_ lips?

'Ok, Hermione, now you need to forget about all that. You are here to help Narcissa. She needs your care and you're sitting here dissecting everything her son says and admiring the way he licks those supple, pink li---stop it! What on earth has gotten into you woman? You will stop thinking those stupid thoughts…now. Ok, now. Really I mean it this time, riiiiiiiight now. Ok good. I wonder if Narcissa knows how beautiful she is. Her bone structure is near perfect, and her eyes are bright blue. Lucky woman; and her lips are supple and pink, like Dra---DAMNIT! Stop it Hermione. I'm not even joking anymore. You are hereby banished from thinking. Empty your brain and just listen to whatever damned story he is going to tell. Merlin, would he hurry up already!'

"Ok, I found it." Draco finally said, pulling a book down from the shelf.

"Which book is it?" Hermione asked.

"The Iliad." He said.

"Really? But that's muggle literature. How did your father have it in his own library?"

"Know thy enemy." Draco said simply and sat down on the couch, opening the book to where it was marked.

Hermione listened as Draco read the story of the Trojan War and how it was started by love, adultery, pride and honor. She listened as he told of Paris' love for Helen Queen of Sparta, of Achilles' love for Briseis, and Hector's love for Andromache and his son. They all fought for their loved ones. They all defended their countries for their loved ones.

"That is such a sad story." Narcissa said when Draco had finished reading. "Did they have to fight so much?"

Draco smiled at his mother. "It _is_ a war story, mum. They'd have to fight a little to fit the theme."

"Well they shouldn't have started a whole epic battle just because a woman had an affair. Her husband just should have turned a blind eye and pretended it didn't happen."

"But Narcissa, if someone commits adultery it shouldn't just be ignored." Hermione said.

"I ignored it and my life just went on as normal. I didn't go and start a war every time Lucy-, I mean Lucius went and had an affair." Narcissa said.

Hermione looked at Draco who had a pained expression on his face. "Narcissa, how many times did Lucius cheat on you?"

"Oh I don't know, every weekend perhaps since our second year of marriage."

"When did you find out?" Hermione asked.

"Well once I saw him in his office with some black-haired woman and then he started telling me that I wasn't as good as his mistresses. I would also see them out when I would go to Diagon Alley."

"Oh Narcissa, you shouldn't have had to put up with that. Lucius didn't know how lucky he was to have you. You deserved so much better than him cheating on you. All those women put together couldn't even measure up to how wonderful you are." Hermione assured her.

"Thank you Hermione. That is very kind of you to say." Narcissa replied. "I am getting tired, though. I think I'd like to go to bed." She saw her son about to get up and take her to bed. "No, Draco dear, I'll get one of the house-elves to escort me. Goodnight."

She left her son and Hermione sitting in the library.

"That was helpful." Hermione said as she read over the notes her quill took.

"Finding out that my father was the world's largest prat? I could have told you that." Draco said as he stretched out on the couch.

"I mean, really, the nerve of him to treat her like absolute trash!" Hermione said, a bit angrily. "I'm sorry, but I have absolutely no tolerance for cheaters. They have no idea how much emotional damage they cause."

"Cheating on her was probably the tamest thing he did to her." Draco said.

"Did you know he cheated on her?" Hermione asked.

"When I was younger, I didn't understand it, I just thought the random women worked with him. When I was finally old enough, I realized what was going on and just like her, I ignored it."

Hermione sighed and leaned back on the chair. She had had an emotionally tiring day.

"What was your childhood like?" Draco's question surprised her and made her look over at him as he lay on the couch.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well I just thought since my childhood was such a disaster, that it would be nice to hear what a normal childhood was like."

"I don't know about normal, but it wasn't as exciting as yours." She said with a small smile. "My parents are both dentists, muggle teeth Healers, and we lived out in Essex in a calm suburban neighborhood. I went to a public primary school until I received my Hogwarts letter. Before I went to Hogwarts though, I mostly stayed at home and read. I had a few friends from school, but none that I was very close with. My parents tried to get me to play the flute, but my musical talent was complete shit, so I just stuck to reading."

Draco smiled at her account of her childhood. "Yes, you're right; it wasn't as exciting as mine."

She just rolled her eyes. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Almost eleven." He said, looking at the clock on the wall.

"Oh." She said.

"Why?"

"I wanted to floo my friend Isabelle, but I'm pretty sure she's on-call tonight, so I won't be able to reach her."

Draco yawned and closed his eyes. "I don't know how you do it, staying up all the time."

"Well you get used to after a while. A lot of coffee, a lot of tea, and much, much sugar." She said.

"Hmm." He replied sleepily.

"You could have just thrown me out if you wanted to sleep." Hermione said jokingly.

"No, I like talking to you." He said with his eyes still closed.

"Never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth, Malfoy."

"Do you believe in fate, Granger?" Draco asked her, throwing her off guard.

"Fate? I don't know, I haven't really thought of it. Why?"

"Why is it that I was born into this family and lived a life like mine, while you lived a completely different and content life? I mean, we both started out the same: innocent babes that cried when we wanted attention, cried when we were hungry, and laughed when we were tickled. Why then, did my life go in this direction and yours in a completely different one?"

"You make a good point. I guess I do believe in fate, because no one deserves to live like you did, and no one chooses to live like that."

"I believe in fate. But then I believe that we are allowed to make our own choices that will eventually lead to our destinies. I've read so many books where men tried to figure this out. Descartes, Sophocles, Hobbes. Fate's funny in a way. I've figured out mine."

"You have? What do you think your fate is?" Hermione asked.

Draco opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. "I was born into this world to make a mistake and then be punished for it."

"I don't think I understand."

"I became a Death Eater. Morally, that was a mistake, so my punishment was to watch as my mother slowly lost her mind and I will have to watch as she leaves this earth because of my mistake."

"You shouldn't think that. It's not your fault what happened to your mother. She made choices, just like you did, and there were things that she couldn't prevent."

"No she didn't make choices. She was forced into a marriage with my father when she was seventeen. She was forced to have an heir by the end of their first year of marriage. She was forced to take the physical, mental and sexual abuse that was inflicted on her by not only my father, but most of the Death Eaters. She was forced to accept the fact that her only son was lured into this same group. This group that had completely stolen her life. The day I joined the Death Eaters was the day she began making up words and using sentences that didn't make sense."

Draco had now sat up on the couch and his eyes portrayed the anger, sorrow and grief flooding his soul. Hermione tried to keep her emotions in check as he stared into her eyes, showing her the pain he held.

"If I hadn't joined, she would have stayed sane. I was the last connection she had with reality and the minute she knew I had turned into one of the same people that had broken her, she snapped. It was not her decisions that led her to this fate, but mine. It is my fault she is like this, my fault that I was stupid enough to fear them and fear their empty threats."

"Empty threats?"

"Yes. They threatened to kill me. My father threatened to kill my mother unless I joined. There was a part of my mind that said they were bluffing, but like I said, I was stupid so I took the mark and doomed my mother to her schizophrenic fate."

"You joined to protect your family. You joined because your father had broken you down to feel completely inferior and you joined because you were scared. Fear is what helps us make our decisions, Malfoy. Fear of the unknown and the fear of losing the things we hold dear prompt us to make whatever decision we feel will keep those fears away."

Draco just lay back on the bed and placed the back of arm on his forehead.

"Don't blame yourself for her condition. It was the abuse that led her there. Joining the Death Eaters was inevitable for you and she knew that. If you feel guilty over this, then you will lose sanity in the same way that she did. You are emotionally abusing yourself by carrying the burden of guilt for what happened to her. Your fate is not to be punished for what you chose. Your fate was realizing that you had made a mistake and then helping the light side conquer evil."

"I didn't stop them." He said with a sigh.

"You didn't stop whom?" Hermione asked.

"I saw them abuse her. I was in the inner circle with my father, but they gave me the choice to not participate. They did make me watch though. I wasn't allowed to look away or close my eyes. I'm surprised I kept my sanity this long." He said, his voice a bit uneven.

"What did they do to her?" Hermione asked.

Draco shook his head. "I don't want to say. By saying it out loud, I'll realize how fucked up it was that I didn't put a stop to it. It will make the guilt burn stronger."

"You couldn't have stopped it. This is Voldemort we're talking about. You would have gotten yourself and your mother killed had you tried to resist."

"Yeah, well. I wish we had died; we wouldn't have had to live like this." Draco said sadly, making Hermione close her eyes in sympathy.

"I'm sorry Malfoy." Hermione said.

"Why are you sorry?" he asked, looking at her.

"I'm sorry that fate chose you to live through that." She said.

He smiled at her. "Well, whatever doesn't kill you…"

Hermione sat there for a while, watching as his chest rose and fell as he lay on the couch. He was dressed in a normal muggle clothes. She hadn't seen him wear any robes or cloaks, but then again, he didn't really go anywhere. Even though he was at home, he still dressed nicely: polo shirts, button-up shirts, pressed slacks. Right now he was wearing a white polo shirt and black slacks.

'Belle would love his fashion sense.' Hermione thought to herself as she sat there. She did find it odd that she was sitting there watching him fall asleep, yet he looked so peaceful, so innocent. She decided she had better go to her own wing and try to sleep so she got up from her chair and found a quilt lying on another couch. She picked up the quilt and brought it over to where Malfoy was sleeping and placed it over his sleeping form. Then she did something that was quite out of the ordinary; she stroked his silken hair out of his closed eyes and then placed her hand on his pale cheek. When she realized what she was doing she pulled her hand back, turned out the lights and quietly left the room.

The minute the door closed, Draco's eyes shot open and his hand came up to touch the cheek that had just been caressed by the pretty Healer.


	6. A Little Older With Everyday

Disclaimer: No ownership

A/N: The title comes from the song, "Child for a Day" by Cat Stevens.

The book I mention in this chapter is a real book! So anyways…on with the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Little Older With Everyday**

Hermione returned to her wing of the house and sat on the couch, trying to empty her head. She picked up her notes that had dictated the conversation that Draco's mother had been a part of. Narcissa had made great progress in only one day, being able to say Lucius' name. The potion that Hermione had given Draco to slip in her drink also helped a bit, since it was a heavy anti-depressant.

What bothered Hermione the most was Narcissa's nonchalance on the subject of Lucius' infidelity. She had read about spousal abuse in her 'Therapy for Couples' texts and it spoke of how submissive women and overbearing husbands were easy to identify. Lucius had instilled a misconception in Narcissa that him cheating on her was allowed and actually vital in that marriage.

Narcissa had been only seventeen when she was forced to marry Lucius, as Draco had told Hermione, and being such a young age, Narcissa was still easy to manipulate, as Lucius had so expertly accomplished. Hermione took a few more notes, underlining the important phrases that could prove to help in future questioning.

She put away her notes and put her feet up on the coffee table thinking about the one thing Draco said that had really troubled her…he had seen the things inflicted on his mother. It was one thing to live through torture, but to have to watch your own mother being tortured; that was a different story.

She had seen the blistering pain in his eyes when he spoke of it. Just by that look, Hermione knew that he had witnessed some horrible things, and the fact that he couldn't even say them out loud made her sure of the fact that Narcissa was not put through normal Unforgivables.

Hermione respected and understood Draco's confidentiality, but the information that he and Narcissa held could help immensely in Hermione's knowledge of how to help Narcissa ease out of her insanity. She would never return back to normal, but she could probably prolong her life by a few years.

Hermione had to find a way to get Draco to tell her what he saw. He said he didn't want to say, so did that mean he would never tell her, or that he wasn't comfortable enough with her to tell her?

Hermione sighed and got up to go to bed.

* * *

The next morning, Draco woke up from a grisly nightmare. He had dreamt that he had been at a Death Eater's meeting and was watching not only his mother being tortured, but Hermione as well. He usually woke up in a sweat when he had these dreams, but this one really bothered him.

He didn't know why he had this dream. He was used to the ones with his mother, but if Hermione was going to be making an appearance he would be sure to start taking a 'dreamless draught.'

He grudgingly got out of bed and went into the bathroom. He did the necessities and dressed for the day: dark green button down shirt and khaki slacks. He didn't bother with robes and walked out of his room, trying to shake his head of the images he had seen while sleeping.

As usual, he went up to his mother's room and knocked on the door to escort her down to the garden for their daily outdoor breakfast. She answered the door with a smile and greeted her son with a hug and kiss.

They went out to the garden and sat down in their usual places: Narcissa chatting about which flowers were in bloom and Draco nodding along as his mind wandered to other things. The previous night had been a turning point for him. He had enjoyed speaking with Hermione about random things, enjoyed her witty comments and playful banter. It was almost as if they were friends.

Friends: that was something strange to Draco. He had clearly stated that they should form a professional relationship. Friendship had been the last thing on his mind. But now, he was beginning to look forward to her questions and looking forward to the answers he got when he wanted to ask questions.

He smiled when he thought of the way her mind worked. It was such a contrast from what he was used to. He analyzed things, of course, like every human being, but she broke concepts and ideas down to basic thoughts and tried to figure everything out.

When he had almost fallen asleep the previous night and she had pulled the quilt over him, stroked his hair, and touched his cheek, he didn't dare let her know that he hadn't quite yet fallen asleep. She had a soft touch and a gentle nature about her.

But unlike her, he wasn't going to think of the motives behind the gesture or the reasons why she might have done it. He was just going to accept that at that moment in time, she had felt it necessary to reach out and touch him.

Draco turned his thoughts back to his mother as she asked him a question.

"Can you take me somewhere today, Draco?" she asked as she stirred her tea.

"I'm sorry mum, but you know I cannot leave the manor," Draco said, watching the hypnotic rhythm of the spoon spin around the tea cup.

"Hmm," Narcissa sighed. "I really do feel like going out. Maybe do a bit of shopping. It feels like I haven't been out in years."

"Three to be exact," he replied sadly. "I really am sorry. I know you must get tired of being here all of the time. How about we ask Healer Granger if she could take you out somewhere?"

"Oh that would be marvelous!" said Narcissa as a smile brightened her face. "She is such a lovely girl and I would be so happy to go shopping with her."

"Well, when she wakes up, we can ask her," he said as he plucked some petals from a daisy.

"But am I allowed to go out? What if someone sees me and recognizes me? I don't want you to get into trouble, dear," she said worriedly.

"No one is going to harass you or interrogate you as long as you stay with Healer Granger. The Ministry doesn't know you have any communication with me. The Order has been feeding them stories that I've run off to Antigua."

"Oh Antigua. That's such a beautiful island. I went there when I was a little girl and it was very nice," said Narcissa reminiscently. "If the ministry ever decides to stop acting like a bunch of mongrels, then maybe we could visit there."

"If the ministry does pardon me, then we can do whatever you wish," he said.

After they had finished breakfast and were sitting, enjoying the nice cool morning air, Hermione walked out into the garden in a light pink blouse and black knee-length skirt. She had let her hair down and had a sweet smile on her face. She sat down next to Narcissa and greeted them with a 'good morning.'

"Hermione, would it be alright if we went shopping today?" Narcissa asked, looking hopeful.

Hermione was a bit taken aback by the request. For some reason, she had thought that she would be stuck at the manor until her days off and would have to treat Narcissa at home. Going out would be beneficial to Narcissa's condition and could even let her open up even more.

"I would love to, Narcissa. When would you like to leave?"

"Now?" Narcissa asked with an excited smile.

"Ok, are we to take the floo or apparate?" Hermione asked Draco.

"I haven't opened the floo network, so you'll have to walk out off the property to apparate," he said.

"Alright then, would you like us to get you anything?" she asked as she stood up.

Draco hid his surprise at the question. "Uh, no thank you. Just have fun," he said and kissed his mother on the cheek. Hermione found that very endearing and for a split second secretly wished it was her cheek.

'Damn, I thought a night's sleep would clear those thoughts. Him and his stupid lips,' she thought to herself as she walked with Narcissa's out of the garden.

They reached the Apparition point and Narcissa stopped Hermione before she could apparate.

"I have a place in mind. Would you mind if we went there instead of Diagon Alley?" Narcissa asked.

"I wouldn't mind at all. You'd have to apparate us both though," said Hermione as she held on to Narcissa's arm.

Narcissa smiled and soon Hermione felt the effects of Apparition. They were standing at the end of a long street filled with shops and boutiques. These weren't ordinary shops; these were the types of shops that a Malfoy would shop at: guards at the doors, no price tags on the clothes, snotty salespeople; just the type of shops that Hermione would never be found in.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked as Narcissa took her arm and led her towards one of the boutiques.

"Charmant Avenue. It is the Wizarding world's finest retailing center. I used to come here when I was younger and after I got married," said Narcissa.

Hermione followed her through several shops. Narcissa had insisted that she buy Hermione a new set of robes and jewelry. No matter how much Hermione declined, they ended up leaving the stores with heavy bags.

"You really shouldn't have Narcissa, really, this is too much," said Hermione.

"Nonsense, dear. You have to have something nice to wear for tonight," said Narcissa as she tried on a silver necklace.

"Why? What's tonight?" she asked.

"Draco's birthday dinner," said Narcissa. "I wanted to go shopping today to get him a present."

"It's his birthday?" Hermione asked with a hint of shock. "I had no idea."

"Yes. This will be his fourth birthday in hiding. But this is the first time that I could leave the house to get him a gift," said Narcissa despondently. "You will join us for his dinner, won't you?"

"Oh, well yes, I'd be happy to," said Hermione distractedly.

'Should I get him a gift? I mean I've only been civil with him for about three days. What is the rule with giving gifts? Damn, I hate society and all the rules. Maybe I should get him something since he hasn't received a gift for his past three birthdays. That's right; I really should get him something then. But why would I spend my hard-earned money on Draco Malfoy? Well most of that hard-earned money is coming from him…but he has changed so much since school. He has not said one malicious thing towards me; in fact, he has been more than civil, friendly even. Ok, I guess I will get him something, I mean, it i _is /i _his birthday after all.'

Hermione was drawn out of her thoughts by Narcissa waving a hand in front of her face.

"Hermione, I'm sorry to cut off your daydreams, but I was asking if you would like to have lunch with me," said Narcissa with a soft smile.

Hermione smiled back. "Of course."

Narcissa led her out of the shop and to Café de Monde, located at the end of Charmant Avenue. They enjoyed a gourmet Parisian lunch, talking about many things, with Hermione's mini-quill dictating the conversation.

"I do know who you are, Hermione," said Narcissa as she sipped at her lemon drink.

Hermione looked confused. "And who am I?"

"You are the girl who drove Draco absolutely crazy back when you attended school. I thought I recognized your name, but it didn't dawn on me until recently. He despised you, you know. And the other two, Potter and Weasley. I would listen to him nag and moan about how awful you all were. He was a bit of a spoiled boy, but I could tell he was unhappy," said Narcissa.

"How was he unhappy?" Hermione asked.

"He didn't have the camaraderie that I suppose you had with your two friends. All of his friendships were those of necessity brought upon by his father and house-convenience. Being in Slytherin, people aren't very friendly and warm, as I suppose other houses were. So, Draco never really got the chance to make a true friend."

"Oh," was all Hermione could say, her sympathy vibe strengthening.

"And now he's stuck at the manor. He couldn't even take me to the hospital when I developed a fever and he healed me himself. He's so young and I just wish he had a chance to explore the world, meet new people, and just be happy," said Narcissa. "I know he's made some mistakes in life and now he's paying his debt to society, but I would have wished a different life for him."

"He has already paid his debt to society: by leading the light side to the Dark Lord's hide-out and by risking his life to betray his father and master. By helping rid the world of evil, it vanquishes all of his previous wrong-doings. He never killed, so he has no reason to be punished."

"Oh but he did kill," said Narcissa sadly.

"Draco didn't kill Dumbledore, Narcissa. I don't think he could have even if he wanted to. I suppose he didn't have it in him."

Narcissa didn't respond. She just smiled at Hermione and asked the waiter to bring the bill.

As they walked back out onto the avenue, Narcissa linked arms with Hermione and said something Hermione didn't expect.

"I know I'm crazy," she said seriously.

"Oh, Narcissa, you're not crazy."

"Yes I am. I know I don't act normal at times and that I lose my grip on reality from moment to moment, but Draco has put up with me every step of the way, and for that I am grateful. I am also grateful for you Hermione. You put your past hatred and differences with my son behind you so that you could help me tighten that grip that I so often lose. I wish it were different. I wish I fought harder against the ones who did this to me. I wish I had the courage to defy L-Lucius when we were married and not put up with his indiscretions…" she said with a sigh.

"You are a strong person, Narcissa, and a courageous one. Someone weaker would have died or killed themselves halfway through what you have had to endure. You have lost a bit of your old self, but that's why I am here. Draco asked for someone to help you gain what you lost and I'm sure with your strength and perseverance, you can have a little of what you had."

"I'm never going to go back to normal, am I?" Narcissa asked, already knowing the answer.

Hermione put her arm around the woman's shoulders. "I'm sorry Narcissa. You don't deserve what has happened, you really don't, but I will try, to the best of my abilities to make your condition much more comfortable."

"Thank you Hermione. I really don't know how to thank you enough," said Narcissa.

"There's no need. I really do want to help you. But I have a question," said Hermione.

"What is it dear?"

"What do you buy a person for their birthday when they have everything?" she asked with a smile.

Narcissa smiled at this. "Knowledge."

"Books?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. He loves to read and there are so many different books that can express how you feel. When he was younger, I would buy him books where the hero always prevails. I hope those helped him on his way to assist the light side conquer evil. I don't know what kind of book I'll buy him now. Maybe a book on dragons or travel," she said as they walked towards the quaint bookshop.

Hermione and Narcissa walked up and down the different aisles, looking over the book titles, nothing really drawing their attention. Narcissa paused at the section on magical animals and told Hermione to go on and meet her at the check-out counter.

Hermione passed by another aisle before something caught her eye. She pulled the book off of the shelf and stared at the cover with a wide grin.

It was a muggle book that Hermione had seen once at the psychological research center she studied at once. Since they were in a fancy little bookstore, she suspected they would carry both muggle and magic books.

The book was too perfect to pass up. She brought it with her to the check-out counter where Narcissa was already waiting. They both made their purchases and left the store.

"Did you find the right book, dear?" Narcissa asked as she finished showing Hermione the book on griffins, manticores, and sphinxes.

"I think so. I just hope he likes it," said Hermione with a hint of pink on her cheeks.

"I'm sure he will," Narcissa said kindly.

* * *

Hermione and Narcissa arrived at the manor a little before six in the evening. Draco was busy in his office, so he wasn't there to see the aggregation of shopping bags the two ladies had accumulated.

They split ways at the third floor to get ready for the dinner party before Hermione had an idea. She walked quickly over to Narcissa's room and knocked on the door.

Narcissa answered and looked at Hermione with a smile.

"Narcissa, I was wondering if I could invite some people for this birthday dinner. I know some people who know about Draco's situation and it would make the dinner seem a little less small," said Hermione with a half smile.

Narcissa grinned. "Of course dear, the dinner starts at eight, so you can invite whomever you please."

Hermione rushed back to her room and grabbed her wand before practically sprinting back out to the Apparition point. She focused and soon found herself in front of Isabelle's flat. She knocked and Isabelle answered, dropping the glass of juice she was holding.

"HERMS!" Isabelle shrieked before squeezing Hermione in a bone-crushing hug. "What on earth are you doing here?"

Hermione pulled away before losing oxygen. "Hey, Belle; I know this is out of the blue, but how would you like to come to Malfoy's birthday dinner?"

Isabelle stared at Hermione for a second before breaking out in a big grin. "You mean I can come to the Malfoy Manor? How freakin' awesome," Isabelle said before running into her room to change. She yelled from her room, "You're lucky I'm not on-call tonight. Should we bring Harry?"

"Um, I don't think Harry or Ron should come. It wouldn't be the happiest birthday dinner," said Hermione as she cleaned up the broken glass on the floor with her wand.

"That's fine. Who else is going to be there?" Isabelle asked as she came out of her room in light green robes and her blond locks pulled into a chignon. Hermione couldn't help but feel a slight bit of envy.

"Well, Malfoy, his mother, and some others that we have to swing by and invite. What are you looking for?" Hermione asked as she watched Isabelle rummaging through a cupboard.

"It's a birthday thing, so I have to bring a gift. I have a whole bunch of back-up gifts that I keep. Do you think he'll like candle-holders?" she asked as she pulled out two ugly metal sticks.

"Not those," Hermione said and ducked the flying candle-holder. "Hurry it up; we still have two places to visit."

"Ok fine, I'll give him a s'more maker," Isabelle said and pulled out a box which she wrapped using her wand.

"Alright then, let's go. Hold on to me so we can apparate," said Hermione as they left the flat.

They arrived in front of a flat that Isabelle didn't recognize. "Where are we?"

"Malfoys's cousin's place. I think you met her once at my Christmas party."

"Oh, Tonks? She's so wicked," Isabelle said with a smile. "I didn't know she's Malfoy's cousin."

Hermione knocked on the door and Remus Lupin answered. "Hello, Hermione; we haven't seen you in the longest time," he said, opening the door to let them in.

"Hello Remus, you remember Isabelle Paine?" she asked as Isabelle and Remus shook hands.

"Yes, we met at your party. Nice to see you again Miss Paine," he said.

"Oh yeah, I remember you were too polite for me. Just call me Belle," she said kindly.

"Is Tonks around?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, she's in the kitchen. How is the home program working for you?"

"It's really wonderful," she said as they walked towards the kitchen.

"Hey Hermione!" said Tonks as she finished drying a dish. "Hey Isabelle."

"Hello Tonks. I know this is very sudden and a bit hasty, but how would you and Remus like to come to Malfoy's birthday dinner tonight?"

"My cousin?" Tonks asked with her head tilted to the side.

"Yeah."

"What do you think Reems? Want to go visit my auntie and cousin?" Tonks asked.

"I guess we can spare an evening. I don't know how Mr. Malfoy will react to having a werewolf in his home though."

"Oh, he's changed so much since school. He has matured and even holds civil conversations with me, a muggleborn. I just thought that maybe there could be some family and friends at his birthday dinner. Plus, I think it would help Narcissa to be around more people."

"Ok then. That sounds fine. Should we get ready now?" Remus asked.

"Yes please, because I need Tonks to tell me where her mother lives."

"My mum?" Tonks asked as she walked towards the bedroom.

"Yeah. I thought Narcissa would be happy to see her sister," Hermione yelled from the living room.

Tonks came out of the room in bright pink robes to match her pixie-style hair. "Let me just find something that I can pass off as a gift and we can go."

Remus was already dressed in regular black robes which weren't shabby as usual. He had finally managed to find work as a Ministry ambassador to werewolf colonies around the globe. They paid him very well seeing as how there weren't many people who would take the job.

Tonks came back with a box in hand and they all left to the Tonks residence on the other side of town. Nymphadora knocked on the door and was greeted by her mother. Andromeda, who had the same beauty as Narcissa, but with darker hair and darker features, greeted everyone warmly.

"Well what's with the big gathering?" Andromeda asked as she invited everyone in.

"Hermione here works over at Auntie Cissa's. She's treating her for schizophrenia or something of that nature. Anyways, she wants us all to come to some birthday dinner for Draco and wanted to know if you'd like to come," Tonks answered.

"Poor Cissa. I haven't heard from her in ages," Andromeda said with a sad look in her eye. "I'd love to come. Let me just go change."

Hermione couldn't believe her luck. Everyone she had in mind was available and willing to come on such short notice. She knew that having people there who knew the Malfoys would make the dinner seem a little bit brighter. Plus, she had missed Isabelle way too much.

Andromeda came out in black robes and a gift in hand. "I hope you don't mind, but Ted is visiting his sister in Canada, so it will just be me."

"That's fine," said Hermione. "Now the dinner starts at eight, which is in one hour, so we can go to the manor now and that can give you time to mingle and catch up."

"Do Cissa or Draco know that you're inviting us all?" Andromeda asked.

"Well, actually no. Narcissa knows that I'm inviting some people, but she doesn't know whom, and well I haven't seen Malfoy since this morning." Hermione said as they stepped outside.

"Ok then. Nymph and I can apparate there, so Remus, you can hold on to Nymph and, I'm sorry I haven't met your friend," said Andromeda looking at Isabelle.

"Oh, I'm sorry, this is Isabelle Paine. We worked together at St. Mungo's." Hermione said.

"Nice to meet you dear. As I was saying, Isabelle can hold on to Hermione. See you all there," said Andromeda and with a pop she was gone.

* * *

They all arrived at the Apparition point a few meters from the manor. Isabelle almost tripped at the sight of the massive architecture. It was a Renaissance style manor with a faded exterior and gothic hints every few spaces.

They walked up to the front door that Hermione opened using her wand with a complicated unlocking spell. She led them inside and took them to her wing of the house. She didn't see Narcissa or Draco on the way up there and was glad that she could surprise them with this.

"Your wing is bigger than my bloody flat," Isabelle mentioned as she sat on the couch. "Cor, you're so lucky to be staying here. I can't wait to meet the Malfoys."

"Make yourselves comfortable. Belle, care to help me to pick out what to wear?" Hermione asked.

Isabelle jumped up from the couch and almost ran to Hermione's bedroom, flinging open the wardrobe. Hermione had magically put away all the clothes Narcissa had bought her that day and Isabelle was going through them with wide eyes.

"You have to wear this one Herms, it's so beautiful," said Isabelle as she held up a navy blue robe that doubled as a dress. It slimmed at the waist and billowed out downwards.

"Ok, you're the one with the fashion sense," said Hermione as she went into the bathroom to put it on.

She came back out and Isabelle beamed. "You look drop-dead gorgeous, babe. You don't even need makeup. I'm so jealous of you sometimes."

"Jealous of me?" Hermione asked incredulously. "Yeah, whatever."

They met everyone back in the living room of Hermione's wing and she led them out to the parlor of the manor, located on the first floor. She left them in there as she went back up to Narcissa's room to retrieve her. She knocked on the door and was met with a stunning Mrs. Malfoy in dark green robes.

"You always manage to look so beautiful, Narcissa. I don't know how you do it" Hermione said.

"Thank you dear. Did you invite your friends?" she asked as they walked down to the first floor.

"Yes. They're waiting in the parlor," said Hermione, unable to hide a smile.

The arrived at the parlor doors and Hermione held the door open for the older woman. Narcissa stopped dead in her tracks as she laid eyes upon her sister for the first time in years.

"A-Andie?" Narcissa stuttered as she caught sight of her older sister.

"Oh, Cissa," Andromeda breathed and embraced her sister in a warm hug. "I've missed you, love."

Hermione saw the tears in Narcissa's eyes at having her sister there with her. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"I thought you never _wanted_ to see me again," said Andromeda. "After I married Ted, the whole family stopped talking to me. And then that horrible instance with Lucius"

"I'm so sorry Andie. I didn't want to stop talking to you, but father would have killed me if he knew I kept in contact. Let's not talk about L-Lucius tonight; we can save that for later. I still can't believe you're here."

"Yes, well Hermione was kind enough to invite me. So when do I get to see my nephew? I haven't seen him since he was in nappies."

"I believe he's in his office. He'll be down soon," Narcissa explained. Her attention was distracted by a bright pink color standing to her right.

"Wait, don't tell me this is little Dora." Narcissa said, turning to look at the witch in bright pink robes. "Goodness, you have grown up to be such a beauty."

Tonks blushed a bit but hugged her aunt tight. "I've missed you Auntie. It's good to see you again."

"Likewise, dear." She then looked to Remus. "And you're Remus Lupin. I remember you from school. You were friends with my cousin, Sirius."

"Yes that was me. It's nice to properly meet you," he said, extending his hand out for her to shake.

Narcissa gently shook it and smiled with a look of curiousity as to why Sirius' friend was there.

Tonks noticed Narcissa's confused features. "Remus is my fiancé," she explained.

"You're getting married?" Narcissa asked with a slight waver in her tone. Hermione sensed this and calmly put her hand on Narcissa's arm.

"Narcissa, they are both in mutual agreement to get married and they are both very, very happy together. Their marriage will be one of love and adoration. We should be happy for them," Hermione said gently.

Narcissa nodded and smiled. "Congratulations to you both. I wish you only the best."

Andromeda hid a heartbreaking gaze at how her sister had become. She also felt pleased that Hermione was there to help her; she seemed like a very well-trained nurturer.

"And who is this pretty girl?" Narcissa asked, looking at Isabelle.

"This is Isabelle Paine. She's a pediatric Healer at St. Mungo's and one of my dearest friends," said Hermione when Narcissa and Isabelle shook hands.

"Healer Paine," Narcissa said and then smiled at the irony. "How very nice to meet you. Any friend of Hermione's is a friend of mine."

"I already informed the house-elves to prepare for more people. I'm so happy that you're all here," said Narcissa as she sat down on the couch between her niece and sister. "Hermione, would you go tell Draco to come down?"

"Oh yes, of course," she turned and motioned for Isabelle to come with her.

As they walked through the massive house, Isabelle couldn't help but feel a bit excited.

"So I finally get to meet _the_ Draco Malfoy. Is he cute?" Isabelle asked shamelessly.

Hermione laughed a bit, used to Isabelle's questions. "He's attractive, I guess."

Isabelle regarded her friend and smiled. "In Hermione translation, that would mean he's bloody gorgeous."

"So how's Harry doing?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.

"He's fine. Now are you and Malfoy still rude to each other, or have you put aside your differences?"

"Well we have grown up Belle, so yes, we have a very civil, professional relationship that doesn't go beyond my work and his mother," said Hermione. She was technically telling the truth. Isabelle didn't need to know about the 'talks' they had and the lip fixation.

"Oh how boring," said Isabelle as she looked around at the halls. "You're in this big house and you're stuck here with a handsome man, and all you worry about is work, work, work. But then I suppose nothing could ever happen between you two since you have that whole 'we used to loathe each other back when we were younger' thing. Oh well, I can always tell Darien that you're available."

"Darien? As in Healer Buckland over in geriatrics?"

"Oh yeah. He's always asking about you and when you're going to come back. He said he regrets not asking you out sooner. Nice guy, great hair."

Hermione laughed. "Well I don't know how long I'll be here and who knows what could happen between now and the time I leave."

Isabelle snorted. "Oh please, as if you'll find plenty of men over here at the manor. When you have a day off, you really should give Darien a chance. He's such a sweet guy and he really does have great hair."

"We'll see," said Hermione as they reached the second floor and stood in front of Draco's double doors.

She knocked on the wooden doors and heard the heavy footsteps of her patient's son. The door opened and Draco stood there in the clothes he had worn that morning: dark green button down shirt and khaki slacks. His eyebrow quirked at the two ladies standing in front of him and Isabelle didn't miss the look in his eye when he saw Hermione in her fine navy robes.

"Happy Birthday!" said Hermione cheerfully.

"Uh, thank you. How'd you know?"

"Your mother told me. Why? Were you planning on keeping it a secret?" she asked.

"It's just another day. Never been one for the birthday celebration. Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Isabelle. I've mentioned her before. She works at the hospital with me. Isabelle, this is Draco Malfoy."

"Duh," said Isabelle as she shook his hand. "Nice to meet you and happy birthday."

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you as well." He turned back to Hermione. "I'm guessing my mother invited you for a birthday meal of some sort."

"Well, she invited me and I invited Belle and a few others."

"Few others?" Draco asked.

"Don't worry, two of them are in the Order and one of them, well I'm sure she won't rat you out," Hermione said. "Now come on, your mum sent me up to get you. We're having dinner."

Draco closed his door behind him and led the three of them back down to the parlor. He didn't have the same reaction as his mother upon seeing his aunt and cousin but Hermione could tell that he was still a bit surprised and happy that they were there.

He shook hands with his former professor and invited everyone into the dining room. They chatted over everything and anything. Narcissa and Andromeda talked about their childhood and, of course, gossip. Isabelle and Hermione entertained Remus, Tonks and Draco with stories of their humiliating internships and all about Dr. Whore.

"So it's our third day as interns and we're on-call at night for the first time," said Isabelle, "And Hermione here thinks it's a good idea to sleep in the break room instead of the on-call room. No matter how much I tried to talk her out of it, she insisted that the break room was less noisy and even had two couches for us to sleep on. So like an idiot, I listen to her and an hour within falling asleep we're both down to our knickers and bras."

"It's a tradition for the attending Healers to 'initiate' the interns or some crap like that. So not only are we in our underwear, but our lockers have been magically locked so we couldn't even get any spare scrubs or clothes. We had to walk through the emergency ward covering ourselves with couch cushions," said Hermione to which they all laughed.

"And then Dr. Whore comes out and says, 'wow, I didn't know couch cushions were in style.' I swear that woman would not know how to be funny if it humped her," said Isabelle.

"So what did you end up doing?" Tonks asked as she wiped her eyes from laughing.

"Hermione's brain finally kicked in and we transfigured the couch cushions into clothes. They were really lumpy and still had zippers, but at least we weren't half starkers."

"Ok no more naked stories. I think I've been mortified enough for one night," Hermione said. "It's time for birthday cake, anyways."

"Oh please, for the love of all the muggle theological figures, please do not sing the birthday song," Draco said in pleading tone. Hermione couldn't help but smile at how adorable he looked pleading.

'Did I just think that Draco Malfoy is adorable? Holy snaps, I swear I'm losing it,' Hermione thought to herself.

"Fine, you don't have to beg. Why are you so against the song?" Tonks asked.

"I have never met one person who enjoys being sung to on their birthday. It's horribly awkward and though it may be short, it makes self-mutilation seem tempting," he explained.

"Ok, no song. But you still have to open your presents," said Isabelle.

"Presents? You didn't have to," he said quietly.

"Don't be silly. It's your birthday. So cake, no song, then presents."

Draco smiled and rolled his eyes when the house-elf brought out the cake. Hermione counted 20 candles.

"Wait, you're turning twenty?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"Oh, I just thought you were already twenty. You're nine months younger than me, then"

He looked her in the eye, which was the first time he looked at her face all evening. He had been occupied with the nice-fitting robes instead. "You were born in September, which makes you older than the rest of the people from our class at Hogwarts. August is the cutoff month for the different years at school."

"Oh," Hermione said and smiled politely.

He blew out the candles without a song and magically cut a piece for everyone.

"So what did you wish for?" Tonks asked.

"I wished that you wouldn't sing the song," he replied.

"Ha-ha. Now what did you really wish for?"

"Well I can't very well tell you, or it shan't come true," he said with a smile.

"Oh come on, you know all that stuff is rubbish. If it's a reasonable wish, you'll get it." Isabelle said.

"Oh I plan on getting my wish. I'm just going to stick to tradition and not divulge it."

"Fine then. Time for presents!" said Isabelle.

She used her wand to bring all the gifts to the center of the table and handed Draco a box. "Open mine first."

He unwrapped the gift and stared at the box with a confused look. "What's a s'more?"

"It's a campfire treat. Graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate. Melt them together and you have a s'more."

"Oh," he said, still looking at the box warily. "Uh, thank you. I'll use it the next time I, um, fancy something sweet."

Isabelle smiled. "Fabulous."

He opened the rest of the presents, thanking them for the watch he received from Tonks and Remus, the dragon-hide riding gloves from his Aunt Andromeda and the magical creature book he received from his mother.

Hermione's gift was last and Draco unwrapped it slowly. He turned the book over and looked at the title. He read the title and couldn't help but grin.

_When Opposites Attract: Right Brain/Left Brain Relationships and How to Make Them Work_ by Rebecca Cutter.

He looked up at Hermione and saw her eyes twinkling with anticipation over whether he liked the gift or not. She saw his grin and could barely contain hers.

"Thank you all. This really has been a wonderful birthday. You are all welcome to visit anytime," he said and left the room.

Hermione frowned at his sudden departure but helped Narcissa escort everyone to the door. Andromeda promised to drop by every other day or so to visit with Narcissa and Isabelle made Hermione promise to come by and talk when she had her first day off.

When the guests had left, Narcissa turned to Hermione and gave her a hug. "Thank you for being so thoughtful and for bringing a little life back into this lifeless manor," she said and left to go up to her wing.

Hermione walked slowly up to her own wing and thought about Draco's sudden behavior at the end of the dinner. 'Did my gift upset him? He seemed to like it. I guess I'll find out sooner or later."

It turned out to be sooner. As she walked down the second floor to get to the staircase that would lead to the third floor, Draco's double doors opened and he stood there, as if waiting for her.

He grabbed her arm and dragged her inside to his own living room. She barely had time to resist when he smiled at her and held up the book she had bought him.

"Thank you," he said simply.

"You're welcome. I do have a question though," she said, leaning against the back of his couch. "Why did you leave so quickly after you opened my gift?"

"I really don't know," he said honestly as he leaned against the door. "I think maybe, I thought that this was a personal gift and I didn't really feel like sharing it with everybody. But then again, I act on my emotions, so who knows why I left so suddenly?"

She smiled at him. "Well I hope you enjoy reading it."

"I also want to thank you, for making my mum happy. Seeing her sister and her niece really seemed to cheer her up. So thank you for inviting them."

"It was no problem," Hermione said and stood straighter. She walked towards the doors and grabbed the doorknob. "Happy birthday, Malfoy," she said before walking out.

"Granger," he called before she reached the steps. She turned to look at him as he walked up to her, still holding the book in his hand.

He smiled kindly at her before leaning down and kissing her cheek softly. Before he pulled away he whispered in her ear, "My wish came true."


	7. Meet You on the Other Side

Disclaimer: Nope

A/N: The title of this chapter comes from the song "Bend and Break" by Keane

* * *

**Chapter 7: Meet You on the Other Side**

Draco pulled back from whispering in the Healer's ear with a half smile on his face. Hermione tried to hide her shock, but was failing miserably. His lips were just as soft as she had imagined and Hermione had never thought that she would figure that out first-hand.

'How can anyone's lips feel so nice? They're just skin. He must work his lips out with some lip aerobics that I'm not familiar with and moisturize them several times a day.' She thought.

She swallowed the mass of nervousness in her throat and looked him in the eye. He had just told her that he got his wish. "And what exactly did you wish for?"

"I wished for a friend." He said simply. He also said it in the same Draco Malfoy tone that could never be considered sappy. Almost deliberate with a hint of arrogance.

"A friend? Am I to assume that that friend is me? Hermione Granger, mudblood extraordinaire?" Hermione asked.

Draco looked at her with a look of disappointment. "Do you think so little of me that you assume I can't make friends with people who are muggleborn? Have I even said that blasted word at any point while you were here?"

Hermione felt the heat rise to her face. She didn't know why she had said that, possibly still in shock from feeling those supple lips against her cheek, or from the shock at what he had wished for.

"I'm sorry, that was vulgar of me. I guess I just never thought that we could ever be friends." She said uneasily, avoiding his accusing stare.

"Why is that?"

"Well, we did hate each other for the longest time and as we have proven countless times, we are just so different."

"I'm not going to lie to you, Granger. I never used to speak to my so-called friends as equals. I was raised to be above them and to be above all. My last year at Hogwarts and the years after, which included the war, humbled me to a point that I would never have thought possible. I offer a friendship to you. If you would prefer to keep this a professional business relationship, then that's fine. I won't hold it against you. It's your choice." He said assertively.

At that point, Hermione was a bit in awe. Draco never seemed to sound desperate or pathetic in any way he spoke. He exuded superiority and confidence that Hermione never understood. Here he was, extending the olive branch of peace and friendship; extending it out to her. Hermione, being a fan of olives, was of course going to accept.

"I consider you a friend, then." She said composedly. "I won't let it stand in the way of me treating your mother, though. I know we have our differences and should we ever have 'friendly fires' I assure you that I will treat her as I have been treating her all along."

"Splendid." He said. And with that, he turned and strode into his room, leaving Hermione in the hallway to analyze what had just happened.

Hermione stood there for a second, looking at the closed door and thinking about his words. Ok, so she was thinking about his damn lips, but she was thinking about his words as well.

'He just wants to be friends. That is probably the nicest thi---.' Her thoughts were cut off as his doors opened again.

"Do me a favor Granger, and don't analyze this to death. You were nice to me, you were nice to my mum, I decided a friendship would be something pleasant to have in this monotonous existence that I call my life, and I kissed your cheek. End of story. No scrutinizing, thinking or examining needs to be done." He said with a sincere look. "Oh and goodnight."

The doors closed again and for once, Hermione was not going to let him have the last word.

She walked up to the doors and knocked.

"One second." He yelled from inside.

He opened the doors and stood in his nighttime apparel. That same navy robe he had worn on Hermione's first night. Still no shirt and navy cotton pyjama pants.

"Are we going to start this friendship with a slumber party?" he asked with a hint of a smile on his face.

"You can't just tell me not to analyze things, Malfoy. Who do you think you are?" she asked, trying to focus on anything except how low his pants hung on his well-defined hips and abdomen.

She did sneak a peek though and her mind went into overdrive. He certainly was not the skinny boy she knew from Hogwarts. He must have been introduced to carbohydrates somewhere along the way, because now he had a firm build, with broad shoulders, a wide chest and a surprisingly fit abdominal area.

She decided to look him in the eye and avoid looking anywhere below his nose because those damned lips of his also had a way of throwing her off-guard.

"I just saved you a lot of trouble and thinking. You would have gone through about a million thoughts by the time you reached your wing and you still would not have been able to deduce the reason why I did those things."

"Fine, I won't analyze it. But tell me why you kissed my cheek." She said adamantly.

Her brown eyes stared at him and he thought she looked very pretty when she displayed a demanding quality. Her lips still looked like she was pouting, which only made it seem like she was upset that she wasn't going to be able to analyze his words and actions.

"I kissed your cheek because I felt like it." He said plainly.

"Because you felt like it? That's a horrible response. Now the real reason, please."

"I can see why that would be an unacceptable response for you Granger. You don't act on your feelings. If I feel like doing something, I just do it. You, on the other hand, have to find the pros and cons of an action before even attempting to pursue it." He said with a form of finality.

She eyed him suspiciously. How did he always manage to figure out how her mind worked?

She sighed, bade him goodnight, and walked away to her own wing, but not before taking a peek at the trail of dark blond hairs starting at his navel and disappearing below the elastic of those cotton pants.

'Even his damn treasure trail is perfect.' Hermione thought to herself, smiling at the phrase. 'I'm sure to find a treasure at the end of _that_ trail… wait, since when am I such a corny pervert? Isabelle is so right. I really should find a boyfriend, and fast. Being around only one male for so long will have a negative effect…

'Since Malfoy wants to be friends, does that mean that we can't have something more…ok now I'm just thinking crazy. I really do need a boyfriend. But why is it so wrong for us to be more than friends? Oh I know why, because I'm the only female in this house besides his mother. He would never find me attractive or would want to start something if I had met him on the street or set up on a blind date.

'If he knew how much I was analyzing right now, he would probably laugh and smirk knowingly all smug-like. But I really like the way he laughs and smiles and licks his lips before he says some---'

Hermione gasped as she reached the double doors to her wing. She gasped at the sudden epiphany she had stumbled upon out of nowhere: she, Hermione Granger, fancied Draco Malfoy.

She quickly walked into the room and locked the double doors as if she wanted to leave the epiphany out in the hallway and away from her mind. Of course, the epiphany could infiltrate wood and locks and found its way into her mind, teasing her with the new concept.

'It's only been three days and I think I fancy him. What am I, some sort of twelve-year-old who has just discovered the appeals of the opposite sex? I have to get my mind off of this. First of all, he definitely does not reciprocate the feelings. Second of all, never mix business with pleasure. Third, hmmm, ok I don't have a third reason but I do know that this is disadvantageous and I have to get over it, fast.

'Oh! I know. I'll ask Belle to set me up with Darien from geriatrics. He obviously likes me, and he's good-looking. It will be the perfect distraction from these feelings which are of course resulting from the lack of fresh faces and outside communication.' Hermione was proud of herself for finding the scientific solution and reason for her problem. Science could solve anything for her.

She sighed happily, changed into her pyjamas and eventually fell asleep.

* * *

Draco closed his double doors as Hermione turned and left to go to her own wing. He smiled to himself at the fact that he caught her trying not to look at his body. His smile quickly disappeared as he thought of the implications. He had just offered friendship to her, so it was no time to start thinking about what _her_ body might look like.

'Am I really thinking about what her body looks like underneath those clothes? Oh mercy, it's been too fucking long since I've gotten laid.' He thought to himself as he brushed his teeth. 'But then again…no. I can't start thinking like this. I just haven't been around a bird in so long. No, but that's not fair to Granger, because she _is_ very pretty and smart and fun.

'I can't think like this. She is my mother's Healer and now she's just a friend. Besides, would she really be interested in me? Let's face it, I'm pretty fucked up in the mental region, what with the fact that I'm a former Death Eater and that I've seen things that would make Potter's hair lie flat for once. Let's not forget the three years of solitude with my mentally unstable mother and a bunch of house-elves, two of which are named after body excretions.'

Draco sighed as he toweled off his face and left the wash room. He collapsed on his bed, not bothering to pull the covers back. He put his hands behind his head and let his thoughts take charge.

'If only I wasn't a wanted wizard, I would be able to ease this stupid sexual frustration with someone besides Mr. Hand and his five assistants. I wonder if I could hire a prostitute and then obliviate her…or better yet, I could get a muggle prostitute, and she wouldn't know who I am. Ah, I've done it again. I'm a genius.'

* * *

The next few days passed by pretty quickly. Hermione didn't try any cognitive treatments on Narcissa. She wanted her to have a clear mind before she tried the next step, which would make the previous questioning seem like a walk in the park.

Hermione and Draco treated each other warmly; talking over the meals Narcissa insisted that Hermione be part of. Hermione found herself eating with the two of them at lunch and dinner every day.

Nothing gave away what they were feeling and trying to deny. The both of them were absolutely fantastic at ignoring the feelings that would bubble up every time Draco smiled as he bit his lower lip or when Hermione would be deep in thought and her pink lips would sit in a perfect pout.

The day came for Hermione's first day off. They had managed for Hermione to have Saturday and Sunday off, just like normal weekends. On Friday night, after a rather entertaining dinner, Draco opened the Floo network for Hermione to take back to her flat. The rent for Hermione's flat was being paid for by Draco as she treated his mother.

She stumbled out of the fireplace and into her cramped living room. She dusted her cloak from the ash and walked over to the couch which she promptly sunk onto. Physical and mental exhaustion had reared its ugly head. She realized with a half-smile that she already missed the massive manor.

As much as she tried, Hermione just couldn't stop admiring Draco. As friends, he was so much more comfortable around her and he constantly made her laugh with his dry sarcasm and witty comments.

In the back of her mind though, something would tell her to push away those feelings. She had owled Isabelle and told her to set her up with Darien for a Saturday night date. Hermione needed to stop this inevitable fancy that would only lead to trouble. She knew Draco didn't like her in that way, and that was the reason she needed to get her mind off of him.

* * *

Hermione awoke on Saturday morning to a loud banging on her door. Hermione groggily got up from her comfortable bed and opened the front door. Isabelle and Harry were standing there looking quite refreshed and energized for the day. Hermione was still in half-sleep mode, so the chirpy guests surprised her.

"Hey guys." Hermione said with a stifled yawn.

Isabelle walked in and grasped Hermione tight. "Goodness I missed you Herms."

"You saw her a few days ago, Izzie." Harry said. "Now stop smothering her."

Isabelle rolled her eyes and pulled away from Hermione. "We'll wait for you to get ready and then we can all go."

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked as she walked back to her room.

"Harry is inviting us out for brunch. We want to hear all about your work." Isabelle shouted from the living room.

* * *

"So is Malfoy giving you a hard time?" Harry asked as they sat at the small café in Hogsmeade.

"Not at all actually." Hermione said and took a sip of her water. "He is really very nice and friendly towards me."

"Well you _are_ treating his mum." Harry said obviously.

"No I don't think that's the only reason. He's very lonely and has no one to talk to besides his mum. I really do enjoy talking to him." Hermione said.

Harry stared at Hermione as if she had gone mad. Isabelle was smiling. "He really is a great guy, Harry. Very polite and quite funny."

Harry turned his attention to his girlfriend. "You're joking right? This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about."

"Yes and he's been through a lot that has changed him, Harry. I work with him daily and I see those changes up close. I really wish you wouldn't judge him like that. After all, he did lead us to Voldemort and helped bring down the legions of Death Eaters."

Harry just grumbled under his breath. Isabelle and Hermione ignored him and went on to the next topic.

"So I talked to Darien for you, Herms. He's really excited about your date tonight, although…" Isabelle trailed off and looked uneasy.

"Although what?" Hermione asked as she took a bite.

Isabelle took a deep breath. "I don't think you should lead him on."

"Huh?" Hermione blurted. Harry was watching the conversation with complete interest.

"I love you Herms, you know that, and I think Darien is a great guy, but there really is no point in going out with him when you harbor feelings for someone else. Especially when that someone else likes you back." Isabelle said boldly.

Hermione stared at her friend for the longest time. Absorbing what Isabelle had just said.

Harry looked confused. "Who is this someone else?"

Hermione quirked her eyebrow at Isabelle. "Yeah, Belle, who is this someone else? Because I certainly have no idea of whom you are speaking."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Herms. Please don't be upset. I really am only looking out for you. I think you shouldn't fight with yourself and just go with the flow. Let your emotions lead you and I'm positive that you'll get the most wonderful experience out of it all."

Hermione sighed. "Belle, I know you're thinking that you just want to help, but I have everything under control. I would really like to give Darien a chance and see if I hit it off with him. That someone else is not something I wish to pursue."

Harry stared at the two girls in bewilderment. "How on earth do you two understand each other? I didn't catch one bloody thing in that conversation."

"Girl thing." Isabelle said with a shrug of her shoulders. She gave Hermione a look to say that this unintelligible conversation was not over.

They finished their brunch, speaking of Ron and Ellie's upcoming wedding.

"They have almost everything planned. El's dress is absolutely beautiful, the flowers have been chosen, and they picked a venue. I really can't wait." Isabelle said with her face bright.

"I still can't believe Ron is getting married in one week." Harry said. "Are you going to be able to come, Mione?"

"Of course. How could I miss it?"

"Hey, you can invite the Darien guy, since you can bring a guest." Harry said suddenly.

"Er, well we'll see how this date goes." Hermione said with a smile.

* * *

Harry had left the two women at Hermione's flat to go practice Quidditch with a few mates from work.

Hermione was looking through her wardrobe. Half of her clothes were at the Manor and half were still at her flat, so she had plenty of things to choose from.

Isabelle was watching Hermione from the bed, biting her lip.

"So you're still going through with this date?" Isabelle asked.

"Yes, why shouldn't I?" Hermione asked as she pulled out a bright red flowing skirt.

"Come on Herms, you know me better than that. I know what's going on and I already mentioned it at brunch." Isabelle said as she pulled a stray string from the duvet.

"You're going to have to be more specific, Belle." Hermione said as she knelt down to look for shoes that weren't trainers.

Isabelle rolled her eyes and tried the blunt approach. "You and Malfoy."

"What about us?" Hermione asked, expertly hiding the panic and obviousness in her manner and voice. Being a neuropsychiatrist helped her hide her emotions rather well.

"You fancy each other." Isabelle said simply as the string snapped on the duvet. "And don't try and deny it, because I could practically smell the sexual tension at the manor."

"How did it smell like?" Hermione asked jokingly.

Isabelle ignored her and waited for a real response.

"Well you're wrong, Belle. We don't fancy each other." Hermione said and pulled out a black blouse to go with the red skirt.

"I'm hurt, Hermione." Isabelle said sadly.

Hermione looked at her dearest friend.

"Why?"

"You never used to lie to me and you used to tell me everything. Now, I have to practically force the truth out of you, and then you still lie to me."

Hermione strode over to the bed and sat next to Isabelle. "I'm sorry, Belle. I just, I just…ugh. I don't know."

"Just tell me what's going on. You know I only want to help you and if that means helping you sort out what you're feeling, then I'm happy to do it."

Hermione sighed and smiled at her. "You're right. I was just, I don't know, trying to deny or repress what I was thinking, what I was feeling. I've been there a week and I've never thought about anyone like this. We talk a lot, I ask him questions and he asks me. Mostly neutral things, like childhoods, favorite books, differences between muggle and magic lifestyles."

Isabelle listened carefully as Hermione rambled.

"He is so polite and intuitive, Belle. I mean, if I had never met him before, I would think that this is someone who had never said a hurtful thing in their lives. We've had a few conversations with his mum. He loves her so much and you can tell by the way he treats her and interacts with her. And sometimes when I look at him, he seems so distant and I just want to reach out and know what's going on in his mind."

"Herms?" Isabelle said when Hermione paused.

"Yeah?"

"You're falling for him babe, and you're falling pretty fast." Isabelle said and put her arm around Hermione's shoulder.

Hermione blinked quickly. "I c-can't be. It's just a silly crush and it's only because I spend so much time talking to him and getting to know his history and his mum's history. I know I'll get over it. That's why I need to go out with Darien. I need to get my mind off of Malfoy."

"I don't understand why you're trying so hard to ignore this. What if it's not a silly crush? I really think you have more feelings for him than you think."

"Belle, think about it. He doesn't think of me in that way. Yes, he's very sweet and kind to me and sometimes I think he might feel differently, but then that's just me being impractical and hopeful. I realized and I accepted that to him, I'm just his mother's Healer and just a friend. He made it clear that I was a friend."

Isabelle thought for a moment. "You didn't see the way he looked at you on his birthday. Those weren't 'friend' looks. They were, 'I wonder how her skin tastes' looks."

"Belle!" Hermione said with a scandalized smiled.

"Seriously Herms. He likes you. And the way he would listen intently whenever you'd speak. If only guys knew how arousing it is for them to just listen to us talk. Harry could learn a thing or two. I swear I have to be half-naked to get his undivided attention and I have to compete with Quidditch and so many other things. He has the attention span of a damn peanut."

Hermione laughed at Isabelle's rant. "Malfoy is just polite so he listens to people when they speak."

"Just stop trying to find excuses. You two could have something. Is there anything that could give you a clue as to him fancying you?"

Hermione hesitated. "Well, he did kiss my cheek once and he said he did it because he felt like it. But that was only because he had liked my birthday present and said he wanted to be friends with me."

"Wow, if he was dancing in front of you with a sign that said 'I Fancy Hermione Granger,' you'd still try and deny it. Look, what's stopping you from pursuing something with him?"

"Oh Belle, I can't. I'm his mother's Healer and it really should stay as a professional, amiable relationship. Plus, like I told you before, he has to have an interest in me before we can pursue anything. I've been around him longer than you have Belle, and I think I would know if he liked me."

Isabelle rolled her eyes again. "Fine, do whatever you want. But, you know what I think about this and you're wasting a great opportunity by ignoring those feelings. You know what, go out with Darien and if you feel anything for him at all, then I will never mention Malfoy again."

Hermione smiled. "That's exactly what I'm going to do. And I will feel something for Darien because I know he likes me back. See, that's how relationships get started." Hermione explained as if talking to a toddler. "Mutual attraction."

Isabelle shook her head with a smile. "You're such a tool."

"Thank you." Hermione replied and got off the bed. "Now help me with my makeup."

* * *

Darien Buckland had the straightest teeth Hermione had ever seen. She was sitting across from him at the quiet Moroccan restaurant he had taken her to. The lighting was dim and the smell was phenomenal, giving the restaurant a very romantic and exotic atmosphere.

Back to the teeth. For some reason, the way he smiled and showed his teeth seemed a bit too perfect to Hermione. She couldn't help but compare Darien to Draco and how when Draco smiled, he showcased his canines, giving him a feral look.

Darien was actually very attractive. He had black hair that was cut short and styled very nicely. He had brown eyes and tanned skin, which made him blend in with the Moroccan theme. He was taller than Hermione, but not as tall as Draco, as she had noticed when he had picked her up.

Hermione nodded along as Darien told her how he decided to become a Healer specializing in geriatric care. They talked over couscous and lamb.

"I used to visit my grandparents in Cork and they had two matron-witches who took care of them. I respected them so much that I knew I wanted to help the elderly when I grew older."

"That's very sweet." Hermione said kindly as she took a sip of the red Cabernet Sauvignon. "So did you have any other fields in mind when you started at St. Mungo's?"

"I thought of doing emergency Healing but then decided to stick with the geriatric care." He said and smiled at her. "How is the home-care thing going? I asked Isabelle and she said that you're not allowed to disclose much information about it."

"That's true. The whole point of the DCP is to keep the patient's confidentiality. I can tell you the generic stuff though. My patient has paranoid schizophrenia and so far, I've been able to condition her to have fewer fits. It's only been a week though and it could change in the future, become worse or better."

"Have you been going stir-crazy staying in the same place for so long?" he asked.

"Actually not at all. She is an extremely endearing woman and I enjoy her company and the company of her son." She said, trying as much as possible to keep Draco off of her mind.

"Oh, she has a son? Is he a child?" he asked curiously.

"Uh, no he's a few months younger than me actually." Hermione said and wished Darien would switch the topic.

He nodded and smiled at her. "So you only get two days off a week?"

"Yes. It's very generous of the family to give me the days off because usually the Healers in this program don't get any time off."

"Hmm that is very generous." He said and paid the bill.

They left the restaurant and walked around the busy London streets talking about the hospital mostly, since that was something they were both heavily involved in.

He offered to walk Hermione back to her flat. At the doorstep, Hermione had a mini panic attack as she realized that Darien might want a goodnight kiss.

She had had a nice evening with him, but it actually was pretty dull in her opinion. They spoke of safe 'first-date' topics and he didn't make her laugh. If she were to get anywhere with a guy, he had to make her laugh.

He looked at her and smiled. "I want to thank you for coming out with me tonight. I had a lovely evening."

"Thank you. I really did enjoy myself, the evening was very nice." Hermione said kindly.

He sighed. "So are you going to tell me what, or more specifically, who has been on your mind the whole night?"

"Huh?" Hermione asked, startled.

He laughed a bit. "It's ok, Hermione. I've been there before. Right after I broke up with my first girlfriend. I couldn't hold conversations with people without her popping into my head every five seconds."

Hermione stared at him in disbelief. Was she really that obvious? Or was Darien just very intuitive.

"She went on to marry and divorce some rich bloke from Berlin, but I still think about her every once in a while." Darien said. "Listen, I'm not going to stand in the way between you and this other guy, because I know when my ex went and married that German, it tore me apart. I wouldn't wish that on your secret man because it's a horrible feeling.

"He'll be lucky to have you, Hermione. You are a sweet, beautiful woman and you deserve to find true love. I'm sorry to say, but I kind of needed to take you out to see if I was over my ex. Sadly, I don't think I am." he said quietly.

Hermione's voice had decided to take a vacation. She had absolutely no idea what to say.

"So I'm sorry if I used you, but I really did have a great time tonight. You are a wonderful girl." He said with a smile.

Hermione's voice finally showed up. "I think I might have used you a bit, too." She said with her eyes on the floor. "I was trying to ignore some things, but they've proven pretty hard to ignore."

"Yeah. I definitely understand. Hopefully you can make the right choice and not end up like me. I wish you the best Hermione and I hope this guy knows how lucky he is to hold your affection."

He took her hand and kissed her knuckles softly. "I hope we can stay friends."

Hermione nodded and smiled. "I'd love that Darien. Thank you for everything and I really hope you can find what you're looking for."

"Me too." He said with a grin. "Good night, Hermione."

"Night." She said and watched as Darien walked away.

Hermione took a deep breath and stepped into her flat, but not before jumping at the sight of Isabelle waiting on the couch.

"Holy shit, Belle. You scared me." Hermione said with her hand to her chest. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to ask how your date went." Isabelle said as she stretched out on the couch. "Harry had to work tonight and I switched shifts with Edgar so you better tell me everything."

Hermione sighed and sank onto the couch next to Isabelle. She told her all about the date and everything that had occurred. Isabelle was grinning slyly when Hermione got to the conversation she and Darien had on the doorstep.

"Why are grinning like a damn Cheshire cat?" Hermione asked jokingly.

"You and Malfoy are going to have the cutest kids." Isabelle said dreamily.

"Belle! Really, now what's gotten into you?" Hermione asked with a hint of shock.

"I'm joking, Herms. But now you've heard it from two people. You have serious feelings for Malfoy and I think you should go for it. You'll never know what could happen. And don't give me all this bullshit about him not liking you."

"But he doesn't like me." Hermione said.

"Listen Hermione, trust me. I only want what's best for you and have I ever steered you wrong?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Ok have I ever steered you wrong besides the time we accidentally stole those ice creams from those kids?" Isabelle said with a smile at the memory.

Hermione laughed and shook her head.

"See? Please, just tell him how you feel and I'm one hundred percent positive he will feel the same. Don't let this opportunity go or you'll live a life of regret." Isabelle pleaded.

Hermione sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. "Belle, I'm afraid of rejection. How could I continue to work with him after I tell him how I feel and then he turns me down? It would be so awkward and I don't want to ruin the friendship we have now. It is so nice and I wouldn't want to wreck it."

"Look, wait a while and see if he does anything that would assure you of his feelings. If he does, go for it and don't look back."

"Fine." Hermione said slowly. "But if something goes wrong and I completely muck things up, then I'm coming after you."

"I'm not worried." Isabelle said with a smirk.

"You know what we haven't done in such a long time?" Hermione asked.

"No, what?"

"Chocolate ice cream-bitch about Dr. Whore-movie marathon-slumber party." Hermione said in one breath.

Isabelle broke out in a huge smile and jumped off the couch. "I call your bed!"

Hermione laughed and followed her friend for one of the most enjoyable nights they could possibly imagine.

* * *

Sunday night found Draco lounging on his bed in his boxer shorts and white t-shirt as he watched the dark-haired muggle prostitute lace up her stiletto boots.

He had managed to hire her through private connections and now looking back on it, he completely regretted it. She had been a decent shag but he couldn't help but feel completely disgusted with himself. It was like using an unclean public toilet…only worse.

She was an attractive woman probably in her late twenties. The minute she left, Draco wanted to disinfect every part of his body and burn the bed.

She looked up at him and smiled as she laced up the other boot.

He suppressed the urge to scowl and stared back. "The money's on the dresser." He said simply.

"Yeah, I got it. You know, Mr. Drago-

"Draco"

"Yes, Mr. Draco, you've probably been the best client I have ever had."

"Is that so?" he asked apathetically.

"Yep. I have never had a client wait for me to orgasm first. Such a gentleman you are, love."

Draco suppressed yet another scowl and watched her walk over to the mirror to adjust her hair and makeup.

She talked to him from the mirror. "Yep, the best client." She repeated. "So considerate and caring. That Hermione is one lucky woman."

Draco's eyes widened and he almost choked on his quick intake of breath. "What did you say?"

"I said that Hermione bird is one lucky woman, to have such a good lover like you."

"How did you know that name? I haven't said more than one sentence to you all night."

"You don't remember?"

Draco stared at her in resigned shock. "Remember what?"

"You said her name when you climaxed." She said plainly. "So is she an ex-girlfriend?"

Draco's hands felt sweaty and he wanted to get rid of the hooker as fast as possible. "No. Are you done yet?" he asked impatiently.

"No need to be so uptight." She said with a roll of her eyes as she grabbed her bag from one the chairs in the room. "Hope we'll meet again, Mr. Drago."

Draco didn't even bother to correct her this time and barely noticed when she left the room. He rubbed his face with his hand and closed his eyes tight.

'I was supposed to get Granger out of my bloody mind with the damn hooker. Zeus almighty I'm so pathetic.' He thought to himself as he walked into the bathroom, ready to quadruple cleanse his body.

* * *

Hermione unlocked the front door to the manor at around 10 p.m. and stepped inside the spacious foyer. Her flat had seemed so stuffy and confined the past weekend. She closed the door behind her and looked towards the stairs where she heard the click of heels.

For a second, Hermione figured that Narcissa was coming downstairs to greet her, but then she remembered that Narcissa took an anti-depressant potion every Sunday night and was in bed by eight p.m.

Before she could wonder if Draco liked to cross-dress and put on heels, a striking woman came into sight. She was very pretty and was dressed rather provocatively. Hermione stared at the woman in disbelief.

"Hello, darling." The woman said with a sugary smile.

"Uh…hi?" Hermione said cautiously. "I don't mean to be rude, but who are you exactly?"

"Name's Starr." She said casually and ran her manicured hand through her hair. "And you are?"

"Healer Hermione Granger." Hermione said with the most authority she could muster.

"Ah, so you're _the _Hermione. Very pretty, you are." She said honestly.

Hermione looked at the woman strangely. "Thank you…I guess."

Draco practically ran down the stairs. As he was washing his body for the seventh time, he remembered that Hermione was supposed to come back tonight and for some reason he didn't like the idea of her running into the prostitute.

His swift entrance drew strange looks from Hermione and the hooker. He had thrown on a shirt and pants, but his hair was still wet and his damp shirt clung to his body, outlining his abdomen and pectorals.

"Shit." He panted as he saw the two of them standing in front of each other.

"Hello Mr. Drago, did I forget something?" Starr asked.

"No. I just came to make sure you knew where the exit was." He said in between breaths.

She eyed him critically. "I may be a hooker, but I'm not stupid. I can find a bloody front door all by my lonesome."

With that, Starr turned on her heel and promptly left, heels clicking loudly.

Draco dropped his head in shame as Hermione stood there with her jaw near the floor.

"Shit." He repeated as he leaned against one of the columns in the foyer.

"Uh." Hermione said, trying to get her thoughts to mesh together and form words. "Well, goodnight then."

Draco looked up and saw her moving quickly, dashing up the stairs.

"Granger, wait." He said, trying to catch up with her.

She ignored him and sped up. She reached her double doors and swiftly went inside, closing and locking them behind her.

Hermione heard Draco approach and the urgent knocks on the door.

"Granger, open the door. Please?" He asked.

Hermione took a deep breath and put on the straightest face she could. She opened the door and smiled at Draco.

"Yes?" she asked sweetly.

"Can we talk?" He asked slowly, a bit disturbed by how calm she was.

"What's there to talk about, Malfoy?"

"Why'd you run off like that?" he asked.

Hermione put her hand to her mouth and faked a yawn. "Oh, you know, just really tired after this long weekend. What with my big date and all."

Draco quirked an eyebrow, but didn't dare show more emotion than that.

"It looks like you had fun this weekend as well." She said in that same sweet tone.

"Oh yeah, tons." He said with a roll of his eyes and as much sarcasm as possible.

"Was the prostitute not fun enough?" Hermione asked with false concern.

"No." he said simply.

"Well that's too bad. Is there anything else you needed?" she asked.

"I don't like this." he said with his arms folded across his chest.

"Don't like what?"

"The way you're acting. It's sinister."

"What are you implying?" she asked with a cold stare.

"I'm not implying anything. I don't like you all cold and menacing like this." He said and ignored the roll of her eyes. "Is it because of the prostitute? I'm sorry I hired her. I admit it wasn't the most pleasant experience. I felt quite disgusted with myself afterwards. I don't need you to be the moral police around here and make me feel guilty about something I already feel like shit for."

"I don't care one bit about the hooker, Malfoy." Hermione said with malice. "Why should I? You're a big boy and you can make your own decisions. It's not like there's anything going on between us for me to be bothered by her. Goodnight."

She slammed the door in his face and sank to the ground against the door. Hugging her knees close to her body, she let the tears flow. This was the first time she had cried since she had been trained not to cry for her patients. The first time in seven months, and all for that git on the other side of the door.

_He doesn't deserve my tears, _she thought as she hiccoughed and sobbed.

* * *

Draco's chest constricted as he heard the muffled sobs through the door. He didn't understand why she had reacted that way.

'She can't be jealous. That would mean she fancies me and I know that's not true.' He thought as he leaned against the wall right next to her door.

'Was she lying about that date? Of course she went on a date, how dumb can I be? She probably has a line of blokes ready and willing to take her out. Fuck. The stupid hooker was supposed to clear Granger from my thoughts…not accentuate them.'

Hermione and Draco spent the night like that, lost in their thoughts, with Hermione leaning against her door and Draco sitting up against the wall next to her door.

* * *

Narcissa awoke early the next morning, got ready for the day and left her wing only to find her son sleeping in an uncomfortable position against the wall near Hermione's double doors. With a small smile, she kneeled down next to him and shook his shoulder gently.

He woke with a start and blinked rapidly, confused as to where he was. "Mum? Is everything ok?" he asked, always putting her concerns first.

"Yes, love. Now come on and go sleep in my bed. It's closer than your room and you look worn out. You can join me in the garden when you're fully rested."

Draco nodded and got up. Narcissa kissed his cheek and made her way downstairs.

* * *

Hermione had awoken in a very painful position with an ache in her head and neck. She realized she had slept against her door and felt stupid. The events of the previous night assaulted her mind and she took a deep breath to keep from crying again.

She then heard Narcissa's voice on the other side of the door. She listened closely and from what she could work out, it seemed that Malfoy had fallen asleep right outside her door.

For some reason, when she heard this, Hermione allowed the tears to flow again.


	8. So Much That We Need to Share

Disclaimer: Are we still debating this?

A/N: The chapter title comes from the song "Give a Little Bit" by the Goo Goo Dolls.

* * *

**Chapter 8: So Much That We Need to Share**

Hermione wiped her cheeks and eyes and got up off the floor. To say her back and neck hurt was a gross understatement.

Not only did the bastard cause her emotional pain, but physical pain as well. She stretched out her body and walked to the bathroom to take a pain-reliever potion.

She looked into the mirror upon her arrival in the elegant bathroom. Her eyes were a bit red, but the puffiness had vanished in her sleep. She washed her face and brushed her teeth; a fresh start to a whole new day. All of a sudden a smile crossed her face.

She wasn't supposed to let her emotions get to her like that. She was here for a purpose, to help treat a woman from suffering the full effects of a mental illness. Malfoy was just a distraction. She cleared her thoughts and was glad that she remembered her duty.

Hermione found the pain-relieving potion and downed the right amount of contents. She pulled her hair back into a high ponytail and set off to her wardrobe to pick out the day's clothes.

She decided on a blue and black halter sundress that was very casual, but also very professional, coming down to her knees and showcasing her arms. Her arms were probably her favorite part of her body, besides her breasts (come on now, a girl can admire when the powers that be bestow a nice rack on her person), and she just felt like feeling happy with herself and feeling pretty.

She didn't dare let her thoughts stray to the events of the night before. She knew that once she saw the Malfoy spawn, those thoughts would eventually infiltrate her psyche, and she just wanted to be in peace at the moment.

* * *

The cold water did not help wash the guilt and the shameful emotion Draco was feeling at the moment. He vaguely remembered falling asleep outside of the Healer's double doors and his mother waking him to go sleep in her bed.

Instead of sleeping, he had wandered into the bathroom and splashed water on his face. This wasn't turning out very well and there had to be some major damage control.

Draco decided that he would have to tell Hermione the real reason for the hooker. Maybe Hermione would hate him a bit less if she knew that he had gone through all that trouble because he needed to get her out of his mind.

But why did he have to get Hermione out of his mind? The answer was a difficult one and a practical one. He sighed and left his mother's bathroom to go to his own room and get ready for the day.

* * *

"Are you going to tell me why I found you out in the hallway this morning?" Narcissa asked when her son had joined her out in the garden.

"It's a long story." He said tiredly.

"Trust me dear, we have all the time in the world." She said with a smile.

"I don't think I could tell you." He said.

"Are you afraid I would judge you? You are my son and nothing you do could ever make me think less of you." She said and took a sip of her Earl Grey.

"Ugh. Mum, I'm in such a mess right now." Draco sighed and nervously tapped his spoon against the side of the teacup.

Then he let the flood gates open. He told her everything, everything he had felt, everything he had doubted, everything about the girl who made him smile just by being the same room.

Narcissa nodded along to everything her son said.

"So what happened last night?"

He told her about the prostitute and about his skirmish with Hermione afterwards.

"I don't even know why she was so upset." Draco said dismally.

"Well, isn't it obvious dear?" Narcissa asked. He looked blankly at her and waited for her to continue. "She has feelings for you."

"That can't be it, mum."

"Oh, but it is." She said. "Why don't you just tell her how you feel?"

He never answered her because Hermione came into view at that moment, carrying her notes and sat in front of them. Thankfully, she hadn't heard their conversation.

"Good morning." She said genially to the both of them, but didn't even glance in the direction of the blond devil.

"Good morning, dear. Have you had breakfast?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes, thank you." Hermione said and opened her folder of notes. "Now, Narcissa, I need to go through a round of questions today to further research your mental progress. I have a sedative ready for you in case you become hysterical because I know that this might not be easy."

Narcissa looked nervous and reached for her son's hand. "I d-don't know if I can do it, if it's going to be that hard."

"I understand Narcissa, but I'm only saying that as a precaution. Your son will be here in case you need comfort. I'm sorry it has to be this way, but I really need to find the source of your imbalance and this is the only way."

Draco squeezed his mother's hand in reassurance. She smiled at him and took a shaky breath. "Alright, it looks like I have no choice."

Hermione smiled kindly at her and turned to the King of Evil. "Same rules as last time. No interruptions."

He nodded his head curtly.

"Now Narcissa I want you to clear your mind. Just empty it of everything, relax, enjoy the peace of an empty head. Close your eyes; let the back of your eyelids be the only thing you concentrate on."

Narcissa closed her eyes and Draco felt her hand relax in his. He knew that this relaxation was going to be very short-lived and he wished she could be at peace forever.

Hermione waited a minute and then set her quill to dictate the conversation.

"Narcissa?"

"Yes?" she answered distantly, eyes still closed.

"What do you care about most in the world?" Hermione asked gently.

"My Draco." Narcissa replied without a second thought.

"What do you care for Narcissa, not who."

"I care for his happiness. I haven't thought about anything but his happiness for the past twenty years. The mother's curse, if you will."

"Did it hurt you when he joined the Death Eaters?" Hermione asked.

"Of course it hurt me. I'd seen up close what horrible souls they had. I begged him not to join, but I knew he couldn't disobey his father. I knew there was no way out of it. It was either his life or his servitude." Narcissa said and opened her eyes.

"Tell me, Narcissa. Tell me what they did to you." Hermione said.

Narcissa looked down at her hands. Hermione noticed Draco shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"I don't want Draco to hear." Narcissa said in a soft voice.

"He already knows what happened. He witnessed it."

Narcissa nodded her head. "Yes I know. I just…I'm ashamed."

"There is nothing to be ashamed of Narcissa. You are a victim and you have no responsibility over anything that happened."

Hermione thought for a moment. "Would you like Draco to tell me instead, so you don't have to say it?"

Narcissa looked up from her hands. "When he's done, do you still want me to tell you?"

"Yes. But it doesn't have to be today. I just want you to listen to the outsider perspective and then some time later I will listen to your first-person account." Hermione said.

Narcissa nodded her head slowly and then occupied her eyes and hands with a lace tea-cozy.

Hermione turned to Draco for the first time that morning. She was almost expert at hiding her emotions, but he wasn't trained like her. She could see a multitude of emotions pass through his grey eyes. They held sorrow, regret, uneasiness…nothing positive. It was almost as if what he was about to tell her wanted to escape through his eyes first and not his mouth.

"Now Draco, I want you to tell me about the first time you witnessed group abuse on your mother." Hermione said delicately.

Draco took a breath. "I don't mean to be rude, Healer Granger, but I remember telling you that I wasn't ready to enlighten you with what I witnessed at those meetings."

"I understand the confidentiality and I don't mean to invade your personal space, but as long as I have your mother's attention and her agreement with what's going to be said, I need you to disclose the information. It is necessary for her progress that we get these things out in the air."

Draco stared at her, possibly hoping for all this to go away, so he wouldn't have to say aloud the things that haunted his nightmares.

Hermione continued. "I've left her without questioning for a week to prepare her for this. I need you to comprehend how crucial it is for both of you to take a step back and just have those inner demons brought up again. The only consolation I have for you is that those things will never happen again."

"I was sixteen." Draco started. "I had just gotten the Dark Mark that morning. My life was pretty much at the lowest point it had ever been. I was terrified, alone, unaware of anything happening around me.

"My father told me that this meeting was an important one, what with it being my first meeting. He said it was where they find out the true Death Eaters from the fakes. I tried to repress the memory but obviously, it just didn't work.

"We stood in this circle around the Dark Lord, all with our hoods and masks. I felt sick; I wanted to throw up; I wanted to go home and just curl up in bed and forget about everything. The Dark Lord summoned one of the Death Eaters. They brought forth with them a hooded person as they stepped into the inner portion.

"For some reason, in the back of my mind, I knew who it was. I knew my mum was the person under the hood. I knew that this was going to be a test to see if I would stand up to them, to see if I would choose family over loyalty to the Dark Lord. I didn't dare open my mouth because I knew if I did, I would most likely throw up with fear."

Draco paused for a moment and looked at his mother. She was holding onto the tea-cozy so tight, it looked like it would tear at any moment. He took a shallow breath and continued.

"They took her hood off and she looked right at me." Draco said and closed his eyes. "She wasn't disappointed in me, or ashamed of me. She was just…she was just, existing. As if she accepted what she was about to be put through. She was wearing this white robe and she looked like an angel. I know that's a muggle reference, but I had started reading early on in life and I knew that that's what angels probably looked like.

"The Dark Lord walked around her, studying her. He summoned my father and told him to take his wand out. My father automatically did as he was told and withdrew his wand from his robes. He pointed it at my mum as if he had been through this many times before.

"W-what bothered me the most, was the look in her eyes when she looked at him. It was almost as if she was asking him not to do it. To take mercy on her because she was his wife. I wanted to grab that wand from his hand and kill them all, run with my mum and forget about it all. But I was frozen. Frozen with fear, cowardice and anxiety."

"I have to stop you there, Draco." Hermione said. "I have to correct you. You weren't a coward. Please learn to accept the fact that you had no choice. It was your mother's life, your life or the torture."

"I already told you, it would have been better off if we had both died." Draco said coldly.

Narcissa cleared her throat. "I wouldn't have wanted you to die Draco. I'm glad you didn't stop it. I'm glad you stayed quiet. I'm glad you're with me now to help me. I'm so lucky to have you." She said and a tear escaped from one of her beautiful blue eyes.

Draco took his mother's hand and kissed it softly. "I'm so sorry, mum." He said and turned back to Hermione who was one step closer to losing the control over her emotions.

"I watched as my father placed a Cruciatus curse on her for a full five minutes. Every second was pure agony to me, as if I could feel the physical pain that she felt. But bless her, she didn't once fall to her knees or cry out. She winced and grimaced and stood on her two feet, retaliating against them. It was the strongest I had ever seen her.

"They obviously didn't like that and from then on, it was their goal to break her. He stopped the Cruciatus curse and back-handed her a few times. But I doubt she felt those after the curse. The Dark Lord whispered something in my father's ear and before I knew it, my mother was chained up on the floor."

Draco stopped and took a few breaths, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

Hermione's hands were shaking, but she hid them under the table and kept a resigned face.

"I, they uh, I w-watched as my f-f-father…" He took a very shaky breath. "r-r-raped her."

Hermione couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips.

"I tried to close my eyes…but they had put a spell on me that only allowed me to blink and not close them for a period of time."

Draco let out a breath that he had seemed to be holding and put his head in his hands.

Narcissa had silent tears running down her cheeks and a soft smile on her face. She rubbed her son's back, as if he were a little boy who had just lost a pet and needed comforting.

Hermione was near the breaking point. No, fuck that, she was past the breaking point and she didn't even notice the hot tears run down her face and into her lap.

Draco looked up at a point behind Hermione's shoulders. "When he was finished, they dragged her off of the floor and she looked at me again…I remember her eyes were red from crying and she had blood on her lips and cheek, but she had never looked more beautiful to me than she did then.

"She mouthed the words 'I love you' and they covered her with the hood again, whisking her away to…I don't know where." He said and rubbed his face.

Hermione quickly wiped her cheeks and stopped her quill.

"I think that's enough for today. Draco, I could give you a low-dose sedative if you'd like. An anti-depressant maybe."

"No." he said simply. "I don't need anything."

"Narcissa, are you ok?" Hermione asked quietly.

Narcissa nodded and wiped her own cheeks. "I think I'd like to take a nap. I don't feel like being awake right now."

Hermione nodded and put away all of her notes, handing them to a house-elf to deliver to her office.

Draco stood up to help his mother to her room. He walked with her back into the house, leaving Hermione outside in the garden, ready to combust from all the emotion-control.

The minute Hermione was sure they were in the house she let the tears back out. These weren't silent tears; these were heart-wrenching, throat-aching sobs.

Minutes had gone by as she sat out in the garden and cried. She thought about the pain that Narcissa had gone through, the strength she had to try and fight it. She thought about how hard it was for Draco to watch as horrible things were done to the only person he cared about and who cared about him.

Suddenly, Hermione felt strong arms stand her up and strong arms wrap around her upper body. She buried her face in the warm chest of the one person who could make her cry like that.

The emotional strain seemed to ebb as she stood so close to him. He smelled of clean, earthy cologne.

She not only felt the strong arms around her, protecting her from the world, trying to protect her from the horrors that invaded recollections. But she also felt the soft lips that she so yearned to kiss, she felt them near her ear whispering:

"It's going to be ok. It's going to be alright. Those were just memories, memories that can't happen again. Not to her, not to you, not to me...it's going to be alright, Hermione. Please, don't cry. It's all ok."

In that moment, in that horribly emotional moment, Hermione realized something that had been nestled in the back of her mind and now it was making an appearance to her entire consciousness:

She was in love with the man whose arms she was in.

Hermione didn't understand at what point the realization hit her. Maybe it was when she broke down sobbing. Maybe it was at the fact that Draco had said her first name.

For whatever reason, the realization was already there. She loved him. It had only been a week, but in that week, she had grown to yearn for his company, yearn for his smile, his laugh, his being.

* * *

Draco held the sobbing girl in his arms. He could feel her heart beat against his chest. It was racing. She seemed so innocent right then, so naïve to the terrors of the world.

He wanted to be the one to protect her. He didn't want things to make her cry, least of all himself. Holding her there, whispering reassurances in her ear, feeling her rapid heart beat: the realization hit him like a train.

Draco tried hard to disregard this realization, but the longer he stood holding the beautiful girl in his arms, the more it made sense. He wanted to hold her forever, and not just because she was the only female he had seen in three years besides his mother, but because she understood him and accepted him for who he was.

Little did he know that Hermione had had the same realization about him at pretty much the same exact time.

He was in love with her. She was in love with him. Neither knew of the other's feelings and right then, it didn't matter. They just needed to be in each other's arms.

* * *

Hermione pulled away from his arms and wiped her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time that morning. She looked up into his eyes and they seemed so comforting to her, so understanding.

"I'm sorry about your shirt. It's all wet." She said with a watery smile.

"I have others." He said softly.

"Is your mother asleep?" she asked, looking down at her hands. His gaze was too intense.

"Yes." He said and leaned against the carved table. "I think we have to talk."

"Listen, about last night. I was being weird and all, I don't know, I guess I was just surprised." Hermione rambled.

"I was stupid in hiring her. It was all a big mistake." He said.

"No it's understandable. You're a guy after all and it's been three years in solitude. I mean you have, uh, needs and stuff." She said with a slight blush and sat down in the chair in front of where he was leaning, head still down.

Draco sighed. "Do you want to know the real reason I hired a hooker?"

Hermione looked up at him and now he was the one looking down at his hands.

"I needed to get you out of my thoughts." He said.

Hermione's eyes widened. Isabelle had been right.

"You needed to get me out of your thoughts?" Hermione repeated.

"Yeah. For those first few days, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I teased you about analyzing and scrutinizing things, but fuck, I was doing it so much more."

Hermione couldn't help but smile. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I don't mean to sound so unrealistic and I know it's only been a few days." Draco said and took a breath. "I think you're wonderful. The way you listen to me, the way you treat my mother, the way you allowed our past to be put behind us, and the way you accepted me for what I am, and not for what I was."

Draco looked up at her and saw her smiling. He chanced a soft smile back at her.

"I think you're so beautiful." He added in a whisper.

Hermione sat in half-stunned, half-speechless mode. They were staring at each other; him waiting for her to function properly, and her trying to figure out if this was actually happening.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you all of this, but I just thought you should know. I don't expect anything in return, actually I would prefer if it was only one-sided." He said and this snapped Hermione out of her trance.

"Why would you prefer that?"

"Well, if you had feelings for me, we wouldn't be able to act upon them. I mean, I'm on the run from the bloody Ministry, hiding out in a Manor. I wouldn't be able to take you out, buy you things, it would be disastrous."

Hermione smiled at this. "Is it my turn to talk?"

He nodded.

"I've known for a few days now that I fancied you." She said and smiled at his bewildered expression. "I talked to my friend Belle about it and she told me that she knew that you liked me back, but I kind of didn't believe her. I just couldn't fathom why you would ever find an interest in me."

He let her talk, not wanting to interrupt her.

"I had never met someone who understood the way I thought like you did. Yes, you teased me about it, but it was all in good intentions. I actually really enjoy talking to you and to tell you the truth, sometimes I would pretend that I had to ask you questions for research when I just wanted to get to know you." She said with a slight pink hue to her cheeks.

"I know that was taking advantage of my position, but I so wanted to know you as a person and to know you as a friend. And I'm so happy I did because you are so real and so genuine. It's hard to believe that you were once such an evil wanker."

She looked at him to see him staring thoughtfully at her. Studying her.

"Isn't it idiotic that we've both had these mutual feelings and yet neither of us bothered to confront the other?" He asked.

Hermione laughed. "I didn't want to just come out and tell you because I was trying to ignore those feelings and everything. I didn't know you felt the same."

"Yeah well it doesn't really matter." He said dejectedly. "I already told you that we can't act upon these feelings. I wouldn't want you to be with someone who is imprisoned in their own home. You deserve to have someone who is normal and not one breath away from a mental breakdown. You deserve to be taken out and showered with gifts, affection, and romantic stuff. I can't give you that. I can't give you anything."

Hermione stood up from her chair and approached the sullen blond man carefully. He was still leaning on the table, so she was able to match his height as she stood in front of him.

He looked into her dark eyes. They usually held mystery and obscurity, but now he could see admiration, delight.

Draco couldn't resist reaching out and stroking her soft cheek with his thumb. Hermione brought her hand up to his and held it in place on her cheek.

They couldn't stop staring at each other.

Grey irises vs. Brown irises

Sadness vs. Happiness

Right brain vs. Left brain

And then they became one whole brain. In the blink of an eye, Hermione's lips found their other half. Two pairs of lips that had been studied, two pairs of lips that had been dreamt about, thought about constantly, were finally connected.

Hermione parted her lips to take an intake of breath and with the air came Draco's tongue, like a snake finding a cool place to hide on a hot day. She accepted it hungrily, as if she had fasted all of her life and his tongue was the essential nourishment for her to survive.

Draco explored Hermione's mouth and studied every tooth and taste bud with his tongue. She was delicious to him. She was the alcohol to his alcoholism, the sugar to his sweet tooth, the water to his thirst.

He held onto her face as if afraid that she was just a figment of his imagination. She did the same, except her hands managed to creep into the soft tresses of the blond celestial kingdom known as Draco Malfoy's hair.

Before the oxygen level was depleted, they pulled away mutually, trying to catch their stolen breaths. Hermione's cheeks were red from lack of air and from having the most exhilarating, heart-stopping kiss ever.

Draco's pale cheeks had taken more of a pink shade but mostly from not having taken a breath for two minutes. He wanted more. But he knew it couldn't happen…she shouldn't have to be stuck with him, a convict halfway to madness.

Hermione regained her composure and dared to look into the eyes of the person who literally took her breath away. Draco looked pained.

"What's wrong?" she asked timidly.

"You're so fucking perfect and I can't have you." He said with a steady gaze.

"I don't get it. I thought you said…" Hermione replied, but was cut off.

"I'm crazy about you and your lips helped prove it. You deserve better. You deserve so much better. I'm broken, I'm empty, I'm nothing."

"I deserve you." She said with force. "I deserve someone who feels the same way that I feel for them. I don't want big fancy dates and gifts and all that. I just want what we have right now. I want that and nothing else."

"But I can't offer you anything." He said hopelessly.

"I just want you." Hermione said softly, picking up his large hand with her own petite one. She kissed his rough knuckles and laced her fingers through his. "Don't push me away because I do want this. I don't care what you've been through or how you can never leave the manor. That means nothing to me."

Draco sighed. "Can we do this? I mean, what if it doesn't work out? You'll still be here, taking care of my mother, and then what?"

For the first time in her life, Hermione relied on her emotions to utter her next words. "I'm in love with you."

She expected him to maybe laugh at her or roll his eyes and scoff. Or perhaps even just ignore her and leave.

But Draco Malfoy is unpredictable. He kissed her.

This kiss was more urgent. He was trying to tell her something through this kiss but he somehow couldn't translate words into lip movements.

He pulled away and held her face in his hands. "Do you mean it?"

Hermione blinked rapidly, trying to get her neurons to fire signals to her brain to get her to talk. "Y-yes. I mean it."

"But doesn't it scare you? I mean, it's only been a week." He said, searching her eyes for a sign of dishonesty.

"We've been talking nonstop about everything and anything for this past week, Draco. I know more about you than I could ever imagine and you know things about me that not even Belle, Harry or Ron know. I'm attracted to your mind, I'm attracted to your body, and this might sound cheesy, but most of all, I'm attracted to your soul.

"I've never felt this connected to anyone before and we may be different and we may think differently, but I just know in my mind that for once, I should follow my emotions. And right now, my emotions are all relaying the same thing: I've fallen in love with you."

Hermione took a breath to steady herself. "Yes, I'm scared because I've never been through this before. But it's a good kind of scared and I want you to be the one to help me banish those fears. I know this is going about a hundred kilometers per second, and that we still have to think about what's going to happen in the future and everything with your mother and all these other things, but right now I just wanted to tell you how I felt."

"So you won't flip out if I return those feelings?" he asked slowly, her face still in his hands.

"Flip out?" She asked with a laugh. "No, I promise."

"Merlin, fuck, I'm in love with you." Draco said with a hesitant smile. "This is all a bit surreal. Very fast, very frightening, and incredibly surreal."

"You should see what's going on in my head…I'm analyzing the shit out of all of this." Hermione said.

Draco laughed and brought her face closer to his. "So you would risk having to deal with me and my problems just because you're in love with me?"

"I think I can handle it." Hermione said, her lips almost touching his supple ones.

They were so close, yet not quite there.

Their lips tickled with the static closeness of each other.

"So we're in love?" he whispered

"Yeah." Hermione breathed.

They could taste each other's sweet breath. Just one hair width away from lip Valhalla.

And once more, they became a whole brain. Analyzing and scrutinizing and emotions and sentiment and awareness blended into a whirlpool of sensation.

They didn't know how long they stayed like that, lost in each other's tongues, lips, sounds, fingers, hair.

The sun beat down on top of their heads, signaling noon-time.

Hermione took a step back, releasing her lips from Draco's captivity. "So now what?"

"Can't we kiss more?" Draco asked, running his thumb over Hermione's plump lower lip.

Hermione smiled at him. "I have to go over my notes from today. And it's almost lunchtime; the house-elves will wake your mother soon."

"Mhmm." He said, looking into her brown eyes again.

"We have to talk more about this later. My left side of the brain is on the fritz because I've neglected it so much today." She said.

He laughed again, standing up straight and taking her hand in his.

They walked into the Manor, excited and scared for what would be up ahead.

So much had been exposed that morning and yet so much had been hidden…


	9. Somewhere Only We Know

Disclaimer: Negative

A/N: The title comes from the song "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane…I would recommend listening to it, because it describes a lot of what is happening in this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 9: Somewhere Only We Know**

Hermione read through the notes dictated by the quill from that morning. Ok fine, she wasn't really reading the notes, she was thinking about what had just taken place in the garden.

Draco and Hermione had walked into the house that morning and he had left her to do her work while he went to do his own. A little time apart to think had been unspoken and mutually agreed by the both of them.

Her mind was reeling. Had she really just fallen in love with Draco Malfoy after knowing him on friendly terms for only a week?

How could they both have fallen in love so fast when they had hated each other for all those years before Draco showed his true colors? When Hermione had found out that Draco had betrayed the Dark Lord, she had toned down the detestation she had for him in school into a subtle dislike for the arrogant boy.

This was all accelerating so fast. It was as if all those years that they had loathed each other were just an accumulation of passion and raw emotion about to erupt into something…passionate and emotional.

That still didn't explain why they were in love. Of course Hermione needed to know the reason behind it. How could they know for certain that they loved each other? How is it possible that she loved him and he loved her all in a week's time…?

Then it hit her. It was so simple, yet so disregarded.

Love isn't something you think about, it's something you feel.

That's how she knew that she loved him. When he had held her in his arms as she cried that morning, she hadn't thought about anything really. But she had _felt_ love. She had _felt _it with her heart and not her mind.

Psychology couldn't explain it because it had nothing to do with mental processes. As much as that field of science tried to elucidate love and attraction, it was never going to fully comprehend the entire abstract notion.

Hermione smiled as she confirmed her feelings. She really was in love because for once, her brain hadn't told her to love. Usually she relied on her mind for everything, but this hadn't come from there, and yet she felt that it was right all the same.

* * *

A few moments later, Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by Snot.

"Healer Granger, Master Draco requires your assistance with Mistress Narcissa…it seems she is not herself!"

Hermione quickly put the notes down and practically ran across the hall to Narcissa's wing. She found Draco standing next to his mother, looking grim and Narcissa chatting away happily, sitting in a chair by the window.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, walking closer to them.

"I have no idea." Draco said and motioned for Hermione to listen to Narcissa.

"Hello Lia!" Narcissa said and turned to Hermione. "That sure is a pretty pink suit."

Hermione was still wearing the blue and black halter dress.

"Narcissa, when did you wake up?" Hermione asked calmly.

"Hmm…I don't know. Now, when do I get to see that pretty baby of yours? Oh there it is. Isn't Noah such a nice boy for holding the baby for you?" Narcissa asked, standing up from the chair and pointing to Draco.

"Narcissa, do you know who we are?"

"Well yes dear, what a silly question. Lia and Noah. I met you earlier this year at our summer house in Bath." Narcissa said and picked up a pillow as if it were a baby. "Such a cute baby you have, Lia."

Hermione walked over to Narcissa and set the pillow down, holding her by the upper arms and to face her.

"Narcissa, you need to focus ok? Take a breath. Take two breaths. Listen to my voice and don't allow your vision to stray."

Narcissa looked scared for a moment but did as she was told, closing her eyes and taking a breath. Hermione kept her hold on the woman, waiting for her to calm.

Narcissa opened her eyes and stared at Hermione. "Why are you holding me like this Lia? You have the greenest eyes I've ever seen and you're so tall."

Hermione was easily four inches shorter than the regal witch.

"She's having a visual hallucination."

She turned to Draco who was watching with a grief-stricken look. "Draco, I need you to keep her right here while I go grab a neuroleptic potion. Please don't let her out of your sight."

Draco nodded and guided his mother back to the chair, keeping his hand on her shoulder, to keep her from straying.

Hermione ran back to her wing and rummaged through her potions and treatment cabinet. She found the red liquid that she was looking for and ran back to the other side of the hallway.

She walked briskly over to Narcissa, uncorked the phial, and held onto it for a second.

"Draco, I need you to hold her down, because after I give her this, she might convulse and tremor. I don't want her to hurt herself."

"Why can't we just magically restrain her?" He asked.

"Because that will frighten her, and having you there to hold her will bring her comfort. I never magically restrain my patients. It has horrible repercussions."

Draco nodded again and stood in front of his mother, kneeling down in front of her. He grabbed her arms and held them down, to the sides of the chair.

"Let go of me, Noah. My, that's a funny hat you're wearing." Narcissa said as she looked at her son.

"Narcissa, would you like something to drink?" Hermione asked.

"No." Narcissa said with a shrug.

"Please Narcissa; I need you to drink this."

"But I do not want to drink anything." Narcissa said stubbornly.

"It's a beauty potion, Narcissa, not that you need it. But it will add youth to your features." Hermione lied.

"Is that so, Lia? Well maybe a little won't hurt." Narcissa said and opened her mouth, since Draco was still holding her arms down.

Hermione took a breath and brought the phial to Narcissa's mouth. She tipped the contents back quickly, and shut Narcissa's mouth with her hand, because the potion wasn't the nicest tasting one out there.

Narcissa tried to move and choke and cough all at the same time, but Hermione and Draco held her still.

Finally, with tears in her eyes, she managed to swallow the liquid. Hermione let go of her mouth but warned Draco to keep hold of her.

Narcissa's arms tried to struggle out of Draco's hold, but he was much stronger than her. Tears were running down her face from the bitter taste of the potion and the struggle of not choking on it. Her body started to tremble and she started to sob.

Hermione pulled Draco's arms off of his mother and knelt down in front of her.

"Narcissa?" she asked as she moved the blond hair out of the woman's eyes.

Narcissa sniffed in reply.

"Narcissa, who am I?" Hermione asked, taking Narcissa's hand in hers.

Narcissa remained quiet.

"You need to rest Narcissa. There is a strong sedative in the potion I gave you and you need to sleep. I'll apply a nourishment charm to keep you fed while you're out." Hermione said and with Draco's help, maneuvered Narcissa back into bed. She fell asleep almost instantly.

Hermione applied the nourishment charm, which acted almost like an I.V. and also applied a status monitor that would alert Hermione of any irregularities by having her wand vibrate.

She motioned for Draco to follow her back to her office.

* * *

Hermione sat down behind her desk and Draco lay down on one of the couches in the office.

She quickly scribbled the day's occurrence and all the steps she had taken to treat it. She could hear Draco's breathing and it sounded so peaceful, almost as if he were asleep.

Hermione looked up from the notes and found him looking at her. He just looked drained, no happiness, no hope, nothing.

"She was doing fine this morning. I thought we were progressing." He said solemnly.

Hermione sighed and got up from her chair and knelt next to the couch where he was laying.

"Your mother was extremely strong this morning. It took all of her energy to relive those things and to hear them from her son. What she just experienced was a visual hallucination. I was actually expecting it at some time, I just didn't know when." Hermione said softly, yearning to stroke his cheek, but she resisted. He needed space.

"You are so wonderful with her." He said and looked at the ceiling.

"So are you. A weaker person wouldn't be able to handle it." Hermione said and this time did reach out to stroke his cheek.

He closed his eyes at her touch. "How did the analyzing go?"

She laughed quietly and pinched his cheek softly. "Don't make fun of me."

Draco smiled, opened his eyes and turned his head to look at her. "I'm not making fun. I did the same thing."

"Really?" Hermione asked with a smile.

"No." He replied and laughed. "But I did think a bit about things."

"What did you think about?"

"I don't know. Just, if this was really what I think it is. And if we're not mistaking it for something else."

"Like lust perhaps?" Hermione said, having thought the same thing.

"Yeah, whether it's really love or maybe just primal attraction. But then I thought about it some more and realized that it is love."

"How did you come to that realization?" she asked with a soft smile.

"I don't know." He said. "I just trusted my instincts."

"Same here."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Except I'm not really used to it. Following my emotions and feelings like that."

"It's not that hard. Just go with it. Makes life interesting. You want to hear something?"

"What?"

"When I was younger, my mum would always tell me something. I don't where she got it from, but it always kind of stuck with me, and I knew that it would almost be a mantra for me if I were to ever live long enough to feel so strongly about someone."

"What was it?"

"She used to say that love is giving someone the ability to destroy you and trusting them not to."

Hermione couldn't think of anything to say. "I've never heard a truer statement."

"Yeah." He said and looked at her closely. "Do you feel, I don't know, strange about all this? Merlin, do you really, truly think we're in love?"

"Do you?"

"Well yeah, I mean, when we talk about things, I feel as if I'm connecting with you and that you understand me even if I don't understand myself sometimes. When we were in school, I really hated you, I mean I just thought you were the most annoying thing on the planet." He said and saw her smile. "I don't think that now of course, I mean you have your moments where I want to shut you up, but then you're just so damn pretty sometimes that I want to kiss you."

"You are a horrible romantic." Hermione said with a laugh.

"Are you saying that I'm sappy?" He asked with mock surprise.

"I'm saying that you are a girly-girl when it comes to love." Hermione said, egging him on.

"Girly-girl?" Draco practically yelled. "Is that what you call people who use the right-side of their minds? Hmm?"

"Yes." She said in jest.

"Well I'd rather be a girly-girl, horrible romantic than a scientific, robotic realist." He said with a proud smirk.

"Doesn't being a girly-girl somehow deflate your masculine ego?"

"I'm very confident in my sexuality, thank you very much." He said obviously. "There's nothing emasculating about using one's emotions and depending on one's instincts to live life."

"Draco, there's something I have to ask." Hermione said after awhile.

"What is it?" He asked, sitting up and pulling her up onto the couch next to him.

"Well, I just, well how are we supposed to go about this? I mean, what's going to happen?"

"Merlin." He said with a sigh.

"What?"

"I knew you were a 'plan-ahead' type, I was just hoping you wouldn't pull it out so soon."

She pushed him in a playful fashion and faked a pout.

He ignored her ploy. "Can't we just take it day-by-day? Whatever happens just happens? I mean, you said you don't want fancy dates and gifts and all that, as much as I'd like for you to have them."

"This is all a bit confusing, that's all…I w-want to say something, but I don't want to offend you." Hermione said nervously.

Draco caught on to her emotion and took her hand in his, stroking her palm with his thumb.

"You can't offend someone who has no self-respect."

Hermione's mouth opened in stunned sadness. "Draco, no. Don't think like that. Why do you feel that you have no self-respect?"

"As if it isn't obvious, Hermione. The minute I joined the Death Eaters I lost all of it. It was a given. After everything that has happened, I'm definitely not proud of what I've become. Seeing my mother suffer through her insanity is just another fucking nail in my coffin. Nothing can offend me."

Hermione wanted to cry. The arrogant boy she knew from school had long ago disappeared into someone who had absolutely no sense of worth.

"I respect you." She said moving closer to him. "I respect you for realizing your mistakes and instead of running away, helping to bring down the most evil being in years. I respect your devotion to your mother. Anyone else would have sent her to a Mental Care Facility or just left her to die. I respect you for trying to better yourself, for recognizing your flaws and your strengths."

"Hermione, I told you before anything happened between us that I'm one step away from losing my mind. I have demons and horrors in my life that I don't want anyone to know about. The only reason I tell you is to help my mother."

That last part hurt. "You mean you wouldn't tell me those things just because you love me, because I want to help you?"

"I wouldn't tell you those things _because_ I love you. No one as pure as you should be exposed to what I've been through. I need to deal with these things on my own and I need you to understand that. I asked for you to be my mother's neuropsychiatrist, not mine."

Hermione nodded. "But whatever you do tell me, I'll use it to only help, never to hurt you."

"That's why it's love." He said with a smile. "You have the ability to hurt me with your knowledge, yet I trust you enough not to."

Hermione couldn't help herself but lean in and kiss him. He almost pulled back in surprise, but deepened the kiss, holding the back of her neck and pulling her closer to his body.

This kiss was lazier than the previous ones, no sense of urgency, no sense of need. It was glorious, like the others, but it held an understanding. An understanding that they were both still unsure of each other, yet they were willing to discover so many new things.

Hermione pulled back and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

Draco smiled at her and she realized that it was the same as the first smile he had ever given her. It seemed to light up his face and exude a feeling of satisfaction.

"What were you going to say before we got into that whole offended, no self-worth thing?"

"Oh. I was going to ask if you thought that the only reason we fell in love was because…well because we were isolated here together." She said quietly.

He smiled softly and noticed her shame in having thought of something awful like that. "At first I did."

She looked up at him in surprise.

"I thought that the only reason I could ever fall for you was because you were the only girl around for years. But that isn't true. I already told you I believe in fate. Fate brought you here to this house to take care of my mother. Fate knew what she was doing. She's a tricky bitch." He said which made Hermione laugh.

"I didn't fall in love with you because of the isolation. You saw past my previous indiscretions and you allowed yourself to find out about me, the real me. Not the person I was raised to be but the person I had to discover on my own."

Hermione nodded along to him. He made so much sense to her.

"You know what scares me the most?" Hermione said after he had spoken.

"No, what?"

"Not knowing what's going to happen. That's absolutely terrifying to me." She said and turned to face him. "With science, you know what's going to happen. You study and you follow a set of rules and instructions and you should always get the same results. But with this, anything can happen and it could be good or bad. That's a scary thought."

He smiled at her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"That's probably the most fun thing about it. Not knowing what's coming up ahead. The surprise, the suddenness, the spontaneity…it's invigorating."

"We're at polar ends." Hermione mused. "That's a scary thought, too. That 'opposites attract' study keeps popping into my head when we agree on different things."

"But Hermione, we've proven that study wrong. We've proven science wrong. Opposites _do_ attract. Hell, they fall in love, even."

Hermione laughed and hugged him tighter. He did make sense, even when he went against the science that she held dear.

"When is she supposed to wake up?" Draco asked.

"The potion usually lasts about 12 hours. She'll be up by tomorrow morning."

"Well, I have a lot of work to catch up on…I really neglected the payrolls I was supposed to come up with, thinking about everything. I don't know how you get any work done." He said teasingly as they got up off the couch.

"Oh, I got used to it." She said and followed him to the double doors of her wing.

"Will you join me for dinner then?" he asked, before opening the door.

"Is it a date?" she asked with a small smile.

"Do you want it to be?" he asked, taking her hand in his and kissing the back of it.

Damn his lips, even if she had wanted to say no, she wouldn't have been able to. "Yes, that sounds wonderful. Casual though, I don't feel like putting on makeup and heels and all that."

"You don't need that stuff. I like to see your face unhidden. I love your natural beauty. It enthralls me." he added with a sneaky smile.

"Well your beauty haunts me, now get moving and I'll see you at dinner." She said and playfully shoved him out of the door.

* * *

Dinner was wonderful. Draco was wonderful. She was wonderful. Everything was just…wonderful. They could talk about anything together and she knew he wouldn't judge her and he knew she wouldn't judge him.

Their food stayed half-eaten as they found out more about each other, running over each other's answers with questions and questions with answers. There was so much to say to each other and so much to laugh about, joke about, tease about.

They didn't talk about the shady stuff…there was a time and place for that.

Every time he smiled at something she said, her diaphragm would stop working, ceasing her breaths. She felt empowered to make him smile.

"So she finally convinced me to straighten my hair. I think she actually cried once or twice just to sucker me in. Belle is the most colorful and most dramatic person you will ever meet."

Draco nodded and then looked at her thoughtfully. "I liked your hair better the other way."

"Really?" Hermione asked with a hint of shock.

"Yeah. I think curls give a girl character. I mean, you look beautiful either way, I just liked the curls." He said and took a sip of his water.

"Thank you. The next time I see Belle, I'll find out how to get them back. If I do it myself, I won't have any hair left." Hermione said with an embarrassed laugh.

"So what are you going to do on your weekend off?" He asked.

"Well actually, I was going to take your mother to Ron's wedding."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"It is the perfect opportunity for her to see the positive side of marriage and not the one she has had to face. The wedding happened to fall at a perfect time and I'm so glad I can utilize it to implement another strategy of treatment."

"You're going to leave me alone again with the house-elves?" He asked with a look of unease.

Hermione smiled. "Yes, why?"

"Merlin, last time when you went shopping with my mum, they decided that I needed cheering up so they put on a talent show." He said with a look of annoyed reminiscence.

"They didn't!" Hermione said with a laugh.

"Oh not only that, but they said I had to be the judge." He said seriously.

Hermione couldn't hold back the laughter…the image in her head was too much.

"It's not funny!" He said with fake consternation. "I had to sit through two hours of 'house-elf master theatre,' 'house-elf karaoke,' and 'house-elf dance-a-thon.' If it hadn't been for your whole birthday surprise thing that day, I probably would have been in a shitty mood all night. Would you stop laughing!?" he said with a smile.

For some reason, that just made her laugh even harder, and before she knew it, she had snorted. Snorted while laughing. Like a fucking piggy.

She quickly clamped her hand over her nose and mouth and stared in merriment as Draco laughed.

"Excuse me." she said after a while, as if that would cover up the huge faux-pas.

Draco smiled at her. "Nothing to be embarrassed about. That was probably the most relaxed thing possible. Cute, too."

"Cute? Lord, you're more deranged than I thought." She said playfully and got up from the table.

He stood up and held out his hand for her.

That gesture, oddly, sounded a million alarms in Hermione's head. This had been their first date. Did he have anything planned afterwards? Was she supposed to have something planned? Did he want…sex?!

Draco stopped in his walking to look at her. "Stop it."

She shook herself out of her thoughts to look at him. "What?"

"Stop analyzing. I swear, you're going to drive me up a wall and we haven't even been in love for a full day yet." He said.

"Sorry, I just…" she trailed off, not really knowing what to say.

He held her face in his hands. "I told you that we were going to take this as it comes. No planning ahead, no future arrangements, just living in the moment. If you really are uncomfortable with that, then just tell me and I'll, I don't know, make an agenda for you or something."

"Ha-ha." She said dryly, but loving the way his hands held her face so tenderly. "So what now?"

"I was going to show you something you haven't seen before." He said and took her hand in his, leading her out of the dining room.

Hermione's thoughts went astray again. 'Oh goodness, I hope he doesn't mean his bedroom. I'm in love with the fool, but I don't think I have the nerves to go through with all that tonight…Merlin, he looks so good from behind. I'm so glad he doesn't wear robes in the house because those navy slacks are just…Ok, so I'm officially a weird pervert for staring at his bum for so long. Oh Zeus, he's looking at me and he's smirking…DAMN!'

"I thought I told you to stop." He said and brought her closer to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they crossed the foyer.

"Bad habit…or a good one. I haven't decided yet." she said and leaned in closer, inhaling his manly scent that made her ovaries tingle.

"Well it's a bad one if you keep staring off into space like that. It's eerie."

He led her through to the gardens, where the horrible questioning sessions took place and where Draco and his mother had breakfast every morning.

It was dark outside, no light at all, save for the small sliver of moon up in the sky. Hermione practically held on to Draco as he walked her through the fragrant garden and into the hedge maze. She couldn't see a thing and wondered how on earth he knew where he was going.

They walked on for about 7 minutes, her squinting in the moonlight to try and see what was around them, and him holding onto her tightly and expertly walking a trail she couldn't even see.

The Malfoy hedge maze was one of the first things established on the massive acreage of land. The first dweller of the Malfoy Mansion in the 1420's had arranged for it to be constructed and difficult to solve.

The middle of the maze, which was the point that people were supposed to find had only been seen by three out of hundreds of Malfoys. That's how hard it was to maneuver the maze.

After what seemed like ages, he finally stopped and she felt him reach for his wand. The next second, many small lights appeared, floating lazily above them.

Hermione's mouth dropped open. "Are those butterflies?"

"No, those are anaboflies. Very similar to butterflies, except these give off a bright glow when charmed. Right now they're in mating season, so they glow the brightest."

It was as if a portion of the starry nighttime sky had amplified. The glowing bugs gave an orange-ish light around them as if they were candles or dull light bulbs. Hermione looked down from the anaboflies and looked to where they were standing.

It was the middle of the maze. The grass underneath their feet was the finest St. Augustine grass that money could by. Hermione could have slept on that grass if she wanted to. There was a beautiful fountain with a sad-faced Grecian-style statue pouring water out of her goblet. The water was different also, not clear or blue, but iridescent. The flowing colors were hypnotizing.

There were many flowers in the middle of the maze. The smell was overpowering. The sweet, musky, citrus-y, floral smells all blended into one. It was an Eden on earth, a real paradise.

Draco watched Hermione's face take everything in. He had kept this place a secret from everyone he knew. Everyone, even his mother. Nobody alive knew about this place except for the two people standing in it at the moment.

Hermione looked to the man who stood at a distance, watching her. "It's indescribable. Too much for words." She said breathlessly.

"I call it Jannah." He said and walked closer to the fountain, Hermione following close behind him.

"Jannah?" Hermione could not recollect having heard of that before.

"It was either Jannah or Arcady." He said and sat down on the ledge of the fountain, patting the space next to him for her to sit. She sat down, not taking her eyes off of his as he spoke. "Arcady is the English form of the Greek word Arcadia. According to Greek mythology, Arcadia is undisturbed nature in its most astonishing form."

"I know about Arcadia, but I don't know about Jannah." Hermione said, watching his eyes shine as he shared information.

"I read a book on muggle theology and religious beliefs. One of the more interesting subjects that muggles have." He said in a non-offensive way. "The one idea of paradise is prominent in most of those religions and particularly in the main triad monotheistic religions of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam."

Hermione stared at him in slight shock. He really did read way too much. She let him continue.

"Now Jannah means Paradise in Arabic. I picked it because it had a nice ring to it and because that language is the most closely related language to Aramaic, which is one of the original languages of the Judeo-Christian history. So I kind of chose that to encompass all three of those theological theories into it.

"Plus, it's unique." He added as an afterthought.

"Very, very unique." Hermione said, looking at the fountain behind her. "I had no idea you knew so much about…well everything."

"I'm not even close to knowing a little bit of everything." He said and held her hand. "But if I find something interesting, I read about it and it just kind of sticks with me."

"Yeah same here. I just never ventured towards the liberal arts before. But hearing you talk about them with such an aura about you, well it makes it seem so bloody fascinating."

"You sure have a sharp tongue for a girl." He said with a small smile, his hand still holding hers.

"When you've hung around Belle for as long as I have, it just sort of slips. She uses curse words more than normal ones sometimes." Hermione said laughing. "Does it make me seem crude or crass or unsophisticated?"

"Not at all…it makes you seem so approachable and a bit rebellious. I think that you were such a little anal-retentive snot growing up, that you needed to start expressing how you really felt with words that were meant to stay in pubs."

Hermione feigned offense and withdrew her hand from his with a small pout. "I was not an anal-retentive snot."

"Oh yes you were. I admit I wasn't all that great, so you have to admit to it too." He said, moving closer to her.

"Weren't all that great? Try haughty, egotistical, little prissy-doll."

He laughed and snatched her up close to him, bringing them into an embrace on the edge of the fountain.

"Prissy-doll?" he asked in her ear.

"Yeah. Prissy. Doll." She accentuated each word as he grew closer to her face, closer to her pouty lips.

"H-mph" His words were smothered with Hermione's lips. He tasted so good to her. She tasted even better to him. He could have sat all night out there with her in his arms and all their problems far away. That was what was the hardest to forget…the problems. The many, many problems.

He pulled away first, soon missing the warmth of her tongue and lips and smiled at her.

"You're the only other living person who knows about the middle of the Malfoy hedge maze." He said quietly.

"I am?" she asked, looking around.

He told her the history of it, how it was supposed to have only been seen by two other Malfoy ancestors.

"So how did you find it?"

"I used to run into the maze when I was younger, searching for it. It was like this unattainable goal. Something I couldn't have. And yet, I wanted it so bad. I wanted to claim that I had found it, that it was something no one could take away, something that my father could be proud of.

"I found it after I had this huge row with my father about me joining the Death Eaters. I was still fourteen, it was Winter Break and he brought up the subject. To tell you the truth, I really was just not into it. I think at that point I was more lazy than ethical. Didn't want to dirty up my robes or anything." He said with a hint of a smile.

Hermione smiled at his honesty. He was at a personal, internal point where he could poke fun at himself.

"He just let me have it. Saying I was a disgrace to the Malfoy name, a disgrace to pureblood wizards everywhere, and even a disgrace to anyone with magical blood…which was pretty intense for him to say."

He sighed and continued.

"I was a second away from flipping him the bird and just leaving. But instead I just came out here and walked into the hedge maze. I think I went through it for about twenty minutes until I found the middle."

"You must have been excited." Hermione said.

"I actually was, but not because I found the middle, but because I had finally found a place where no one could find me. From then on, after every row, after every Death Eater meeting I would run out here and just sit. I would stare at Adrasteia for hours."

"Is that the statue in the fountain?" Hermione asked, turning around to look at the solemn-faced structure.

"I don't know who put this fountain here, I'm sure it was the original ancestor who built the maze, but this fountain it's so…I don't know, significant."

"How so?"

"Well, the legend of Adrasteia is that she was a nymph who was given the task of protecting Zeus from his father Cronus, who was going to kill him in fear that he would take over in power. Adrasteia and her sister Ida hid Zeus in a cave and whenever he would cry, they would make noise with their swords and shields so that Cronus wouldn't hear Zeus crying and come kill him.

"This might sound ridiculously stupid, but I always thought that when I came out here to get away from my father or to try and rid myself of the memories of those meetings, that Adrasteia was protecting me…you know, like how she protected Zeus from his father."

Hermione looked into his eyes. His grey, trusting, broken, saddened eyes.

She wished he could have had real protection in his youth, she wished he didn't have to grow up in a home where he needed protection from anything. He had not been treated fairly by fate early on in his life.

"That's not stupid at all."

He smiled at her and stood up, stretching out his long legs from sitting for so long.

"I think we should head back in before the house-elves send out a search party for me." he said and helped her off the fountain. She laughed and put her arms around his waist.

"Those house-elves really do care for you." She said as he led them back through the dark after charming the anaboflies off.

"Maybe too much. After Snot and Poopy refused to play with me, I was a horror to all of them. But they took it in stride and when I went into hiding at the manor, I apologized to them. Merlin, you'd think I'd offered to make them royalty the way they acted when I apologized."

Hermione laughed and held onto him tighter; enjoying the broadness of his upper body and the many steps she had to take to match his long strides.

"Never thought you'd be someone a house-elf looked up to." Hermione said with a laugh.

"Yeah I know. My ancestors are probably rolling in their graves, shocked at how their descendant could ever be a decent person." He said jokingly.

Before she knew it, the light from the manor appeared and they were inside all too soon.

Draco led her up to the third floor and they both checked to make sure Narcissa was ok. Two house-elves were watching over her and Hermione re-checked the nourishment charm and her vitals.

They quietly left the room and stood outside of Hermione's double doors.

Before Hermione could feel any anxiety or nervousness, Draco caressed her cheek and kissed her softly.

"Goodnight my love" He whispered against her lips.

She repressed a sigh of loss and replied. "Night."

She watched him walk away and before her calves could manage to dissolve and leave her immobile, she stepped through her doors and let out a long, lovely sigh.


	10. Lying Helpless in Her Arms

Disclaimer: I do not own HP stuff.

A/N: The chapter title comes from the song "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" by Bryan Adams

* * *

**Chapter 10: Lying Helpless in Her Arms**

_The air whipped through Draco's blond locks as he lay in the soft grass of Jannah, his paradise. There was an eerie calm around him…_

_The wind picked up. It was strong but not cold; like a warm breeze. The grass seemed softer than usual. The statue of Adrasteia looked down upon Draco, protecting him from the harsh realities of his life._

_The calm was broken by the sound of footsteps on the grass. The soft thuds of those footsteps made Draco stand up slowly, cautiously._

_The sight before him made his breath hitch. Not in the good way._

"_Well, well…if it isn't the apple of my eye," Lucius Malfoy drawled, strolling in and looking at his son._

_Draco's thought processes were off the chart. What the hell was he doing here? He should be dead._

"_Oh, I _am_ dead," Lucius said, as if reading Draco's mind._

"_What are you doing here?" Draco managed to find voice. It sounded foreign to him._

"_You should be asking yourself that," Lucius said with the oh-so-famous Malfoy smirk. "This is _your_ subconscious."_

"_My subconscious? As in my dreams?" Draco asked. _

"_Ten points to you," Lucius sneered. "Yes, this is your dream."_

"_Nightmare is more precise," Draco countered. "You would never be in a dream of mine."_

"_Oh yes, that space would be reserved for your weak mother or that mudblood." Lucius said as he circled the fountain, his hands behind his back as if he were taking a casual stroll._

"_I have no idea what you are speaking of," Draco said._

"_Oh don't be dumb, boy. I'm in your subconscious, so I pretty much know everything inside that infantile mind of yours. I'm not real, so don't wet yourself."_

"_I was never afraid of you."_

"_Is that right? You could have fooled me," Lucius remarked._

"_What are you doing in my subconscious anyway? Come to make my adulthood as horrible as my childhood?" Draco asked, watching his father stroll around the fountain._

_Lucius chuckled sinisterly. "Oh come now, it wasn't _that_ bad."_

"_Coming from the man with non-existent empathy," Draco replied. "How the hell do I get rid of you?"_

"_Easy. Just wake up," Lucius said with a knowing smile._

_Draco stood confused for a second. "Easier said than done."_

"_Of course. You're not going to wake up until I'm through here."_

"_And what exactly are you not through with?" Draco asked._

"_You and that mudblood. It's wrong Draco, and you know it," Lucius said with a manic glint in his eye._

"_Blood doesn't matter to me anymore, it might have at one point, and I admit to it, but right now, I don't care."_

"_Oh my dear, stupid son. It's not blood I'm talking about. Let's pretend that I'm invading your dream…nightmare, excuse me…as let's say, your conscience."_

"_You? My conscience? That is the funniest thing you have ever uttered."_

"_Well I'm glad you find me humorous. I am here to warn you," Lucius said slowly. "You don't love the mudblood. As your conscience, I believe it is my right to try and persuade you from destroying your life…and her life."_

"_I don't understand." Draco said with his flaxen eyebrows furrowed._

"_All within a week, you miraculously fall in love with a girl who you've detested since you were 11. This isn't some sort of fairy tale, this is real life, and the fact that you two fell in love so fast is hardly believable."_

"_What would you know about love? You tortured and drove your own wife to insanity. You can't preach something you know nothing of," Draco spat._

_Lucius just laughed. "I can preach whatever I damn well please. You are just trying to cover the fact that you doubt this little love story just as much as I do."_

"_I do not doubt anything. I love her."_

"_How sweet. The pauper and the pureblood idiot. You do make such a lovely couple."_

"_Ok, I think I'm going to wake up now," Draco said, hoping that that was the key to leaving this stupid nightmare._

"_Tut, tut, Draco. I already told you that you can't wake up until I'm finished. And I'm not finished."_

"_Well then hurry the bloody hell up," Draco said impatiently._

"_Listen to me carefully boy; end whatever you and the mudblood have together because it is based on false notions. You think you love her, but you really don't. You love the _idea_ of her and not the actual girl in question. You've been alone for so long that the first opportunity that comes along, you seize it."_

_Draco could hear his own heavy breathing. What his nightmare-father-conscience was telling him made sense, but was frightening to think about._

_Lucius smiled as he saw the uncertainties and doubts cross through Draco's eyes._

"_It seems I am, as usual, correct. Pity that you don't love her. She seems quite in love with you."_

_Draco stared at the water pouring out of Adrasteia's goblet. He had to wake up…he had to get away from this nightmare and reorganize his thoughts and just not be near the crazy nightmare-father-conscience anymore._

"_Nice seeing you again, Draco. If you decide to not heed my wisdom, then I shall return until you see the truth. Don't look at me like that, boy. You know the truth as much as I do. You. Don't. Love. Her," Lucius articulated. "You can wake up…_

_NOW!"_

* * *

Draco's eyes flew open as his heartbeat raced to the beat of a broken metronome. It had all been a dream. A stupid, nonsensical, nightmarish dream.

The sun was streaming through the half-open drapes and casting a long strip of light over the bed. Draco watched the strip of light slowly inch its way across the bed as the sun rose.

He didn't want any thoughts to assault his mind at the moment. He just needed to have his head cleared before diving into a major reflection period.

Draco usually woke up at this hour and he knew he would have to go check on his mother soon, since she had been asleep for nearly 14 hours, due to the potion Hermione had administered.

This thought brought him back to the matter at hand: Hermione.

Was the dream trying to tell him something? Was it relaying the doubts and qualms that Draco had about this whole 'love' thing?

Dreams are funny sometimes. They can stick with a person for an entire day, harassing their attention and infiltrating the barriers of their consciousness. At some points during the day, the dreamer will see something reminiscent of the dream and they'll start thinking about it incessantly.

This was one of those dreams.

* * *

Hermione pulled her hair back in a clip and finished washing her face. She had woken up to a wonderful feeling in her stomach. The previous night had been beyond expectations. She felt that in just that one night alone, she had grown closer to Draco than in any of the previous nights.

He had let her in to a part of his world that he had kept private from everyone else. He trusted her to accept something he held close to him, and that was a sign that it was truly love.

She finished with the bathroom fundamentals and got dressed for the day in black business slacks and a light green cashmere sweater.

Her hair was pulled back into a lazy twist and she left her room to check Narcissa's vitals before Narcissa would have to go down to the garden.

She knocked on the double doors that led to Narcissa's wing and the door was opened by the man who had kept her mind occupied all night.

He looked tired, but still impeccably dressed in a white polo and navy pants.

Draco forced a smile and held the door open for her to walk in.

"Good morning," she said considerately. "Is she awake?"

"Yes, but she's disoriented," he said stoically as he shut the doors behind her and walked towards Narcissa's bedchambers with Hermione.

Narcissa was sitting up in bed looking at her fingers. She looked like a sad porcelain doll.

"Good morning, Narcissa," Hermione greeted, walking up next to her.

"Morning," Narcissa replied.

"Draco tells me you're feeling a bit off. Care to tell me exactly what's bothering you?" Hermione asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Narcissa.

Narcissa shrugged a bit. "I don't really remember much of anything. I feel like I've been sleeping for ages."

"Yes, I had to give you a neuroleptic potion to decrease the effects of the visual hallucination you were having. It had a strong sedative in it that lasts for about 12 to 13 hours."

"Visual hallucination? You mean I saw things that didn't exist?" Narcissa asked slowly.

"That's correct."

"What caused this hallucination? Was it the talk we had in the garden?"

Hermione nodded her head. "Draco relayed his perspective of the first Death Eater meeting he attended and while you were handling it very well, after you took a nap, you woke up hallucinating. It was caused by the mental stresses of the memories."

Narcissa frowned. "Well, that's humiliating. I don't like not being in control of my actions and words."

"Nothing to be embarrassed about. You did nothing that isn't normal for a hallucination."

"What did I say?" Narcissa asked curiously.

"You referred to Draco and me as Lia and Noah; do you know anyone by those names?" Hermione asked.

Narcissa smiled. "No…but it's strange."

"What's strange?"

"Those are the names I had picked out for Draco before he was born. I read them in a novel once and I just loved them."

"Did Lucius not approve of those names?" Hermione asked.

"I never told him the names. You see, Andromeda had picked out the name Draco for her own child, but when she had a girl, she obviously didn't use it. Somehow, Bellatrix heard the name and told Lucius about it, and he decided that that would be our son's name."

"So you didn't like the name Draco?" Draco asked from his place standing at the foot of the bed.

"Oh no, I loved it!" Narcissa exclaimed. "What made it even better was the fact that Lucius didn't know that Andromeda came up with it. A bit of an inside joke. So in truth, your aunt Andromeda was the one who named you."

Hermione smiled. "Well, Narcissa, I'm going to leave you with Draco while I get started on some notes and research. I won't be questioning you today, but hopefully by Friday, we can get another round in."

Narcissa nodded and smiled as Hermione left the room.

* * *

Draco helped his mother out of bed and left the room to wait for her down in the garden. As he sat down in the garden chair he caught a glimpse of the hedge maze and his dream from last night popped back into his head.

'It was just a stupid dream. It meant nothing. The stupid bastard didn't fuck me up enough during his lifetime, so now he's working overtime beyond the grave,' Draco thought. 'I'll just forget the whole stupid thing. Since when have I ever taken dreams seriously? Shit, I'm turning into Trelawney. Ok, that's it. Dream forgotten as of now. It really is so ridiculous. I _do_ love her. Stupid dream.'

Narcissa interrupted his thoughts as she sat down beside him.

"How was your day yesterday?" she asked as she stirred honey into her tea.

"Eventful," Draco replied, remembering that so much had happened since before his mother's hallucination.

He wasn't sure though that he wanted to tell her just yet. Maybe he wanted Hermione to be there with him, or maybe he didn't want to jinx the budding relationship.

"Did you finish your financial work for Hogwarts?" she asked.

"Yes. I sent it last night and I should get the next batch of papers by Friday."

"Hmm," Narcissa nodded.

"I spoke to Healer Granger last night," he said.

"About me?" she asked.

"She said she wants to take you to a wedding this Saturday. Said it would be helpful for you."

"Oh. Well, that sounds fun I guess. Who is getting married?"

"Her friend, Weasley," Draco replied.

"To whom?"

"Uh, I forgot. Someone who works with him, I think."

"You're going to be all by yourself here?" Narcissa asked.

Draco smiled. "I'm sure the house-elves can find a way to keep me occupied."

* * *

Hermione copied down the side effects of the atypical antipsychotic potion that she wanted to start using for Narcissa. She dipped her quill in the ink well and almost spilled it when a knock at the door startled her.

"Come in!"

A few seconds later, Draco walked into her office and strode over to her desk, leaning against it instead of taking a seat.

"Finished breakfast?" Hermione asked, continuing to write down the notes she was previously working on.

"Yeah. I told my mum about you taking her to the wedding," he said, picking up a piece of parchment and skimming the words.

"Good. I think she'll enjoy it and Tonks will be there, so she'll have family to be around."

"I didn't tell her about us," he said quietly.

She looked up at him and smiled. "That's not a problem. We don't want to overload her with too many things."

"So you're ok with that? Keeping it from her?"

"Well, we haven't really done much to keep from her…except profess our love for one another," she said with a small grin.

The word 'love' brought Draco back to the stupid dream from last night.

"Hermione, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," she said and put her quill down.

"Have you been having doubts about…us?" he asked, not looking her in the eye.

"Well in the short time that I've known about our mutual feelings, I guess I have been thinking about whether we're really genuine about them. I've come to the conclusion that I am and that even though it's all a bit rushed, that maybe we were really meant to be together."

Draco smiled at her…how could he have let that stupid dream get to him? He _did_ love her. Stupid dream-Lucius.

"You can't drug my mother again can you? So we can be uninterrupted for the day?" he asked with a sneaky grin.

"Draco! What a horribly bizarre thing to say!" Hermione said with a scandalized tone.

"What?" he asked with feigned innocence.

"You are such a prat," she said with a shake of the head and a small smile.

"Yeah, but you love this prat," he said cheekily and took her hand in his, pulling her out of her chair. "Now give me a kiss."

She leaned in to kiss him and moved her head at the last moment, kissing his cheek.

"You little tease," he said in her ear, causing her to involuntarily shiver. Whispers made her nervous, they were too erotic.

She stood between his legs as he leaned against the desk and held her close to him. His lips were still near her ear and she almost lost consciousness when she felt her earlobe between those two lips of his.

She brought her hands up to his shoulders to prevent herself from falling into a huge puddle of left-brain goo.

"What if your mother needs me?" Hermione breathed, surprised that her mind could function enough to string words together in a coherent sentence.

"She's taking a nap."

"How convenient."

"Oh yes. Good for us that she's a dainty aristocrat used to taking beauty rests," he whispered.

"When will she be up?" Hermione ventured.

"Not for another hour or two," he replied, her earlobe still between his teeth.

"Come on," she said, leaning away from him and grabbing his hand.

"Where are we going?" he asked with a hint of a smile.

"Somewhere more comfortable," she said, surprised at her own brazenness.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her, but continued following her to what appeared to be her bedroom.

Their relationship was a strange one…what was the appropriate time to wait for sex? They had had a first 'date' and they had declared their love for one another...but was there something else that should happen before they became physical lovers?

Hermione laced her fingers through Draco's and turned to face him. He was gorgeous in every sense. She knew that he was the one she wanted to be her first…maybe her only. She quickly wondered if she was rushing things, but rushing things seemed to be a prominent theme in their relationship so far.

She slowly walked backwards towards the bed, not breaking eye contact with the grey-eyed man. She noticed that an odd combination of curiosity and worry were evident in his gaze. She kissed him softly.

The back of her shins hit the bed and she took a breath before lying down and dragging him down with her by the collar of his shirt.

There was an unspoken conversation between them. They were about to cross that irreversible line into the dangerous yet enthralling territory of sex. Hermione's thoughts were completely jumbled and unable to keep from running into each other in pure chaos.

Draco knew this was all going horribly fast, but yet it felt right. Regardless of the doubt-forming dream he had had that morning, he knew that being with Hermione in the most intimate of ways would only reinforce his feelings for her.

He leaned down to kiss her pouty lips, licking her lower lip which was the more kissable of the two…if that was even possible. She opened her lips to him, inviting him to devour her mouth in a hungry kiss.

He needed this. She needed this. There was so much unresolved emotional baggage balancing on their shoulders that they just needed to escape from reality for awhile and lose themselves in physical bliss.

Somehow, Hermione had maneuvered them to a more comfortable position, laying her head on her pillows and him raised on his elbows on top of her, kissing her softly, then roughly, then softly, in a panty-wetting pattern.

Draco was everything she could have wanted for the man to finally see her at her most uninhibited, to see her with her guard down and completely at his mercy. It's funny…she would have never thought that Draco Malfoy would be the one person she fell in love with, let alone claim her virginity.

Her thoughts came to a skidding halt when she left his lips travel down her chin, towards her neck. Who would have thought that the neck could be such a sensational area?

As Hermione's breathing became more rapid and her thoughts more irrational, Draco was taking his time in kissing her soft neck. He could feel her tense and squirm all at once under his ministrations. He smiled against her neck, stretching his tongue out to taste her sweet skin.

Hermione couldn't stop the moan from escaping her lips as his warm tongue licked a place near her jaw line. Her hands found a comfortable place around his neck, bringing him closer to her. The need to feel that closeness overwhelmed their minds.

For some reason, the whole concept of having sex dawned on Hermione at that moment and she couldn't help but tremble.

Draco noticed her slight shaking and stopped in his kisses. He pulled away from her and looked into her eyes.

"Why are you shaking, love?" he asked worriedly.

"Nothing…I'm just, uh cold." She said.

She knew he didn't buy that because he kept staring at her, waiting for her to tell him the real reason she was trembling.

"I'm a bit nervous." She quietly admitted.

"Are we going too fast?" he asked, raising himself onto his elbows again.

"No, it's just; well…it's my first time." She said in a whisper.

Those few words made the stupid, horrible dream come back at full speed to Draco's mind.

'_You think you love her, but you really don't …You. Don't. Love. Her…'_ His father's words attacked his thoughts and for a second he forgot Hermione was even there.

"Draco?" she asked timidly as she saw his eyes glaze over in thought.

He shook his head to clear it and looked at her. Her lips were swollen from their kisses, making her pout more prominent and she just looked like a disheveled angel.

"I, I…I have to go." He said and almost ran out the room, leaving Hermione lying on the bed, wondering what she had done wrong.

* * *

Draco reached his own wing in less than five seconds. His heart was hammering an odd tempo in his chest and his breathing was erratic. His thoughts were flinging themselves across his two brain hemispheres. His emotions were yelling at him to go back and pleasure the woman who held his heart while his rationality told him to stay put and sort out his feelings before taking away the one thing that the woman held for the man she would love.

It was strange…he didn't know why the dream came at him when she told that it was her first time. It was a scary thought. She had waited all this time, and deep down, he couldn't understand why she wanted him to be the one to take that one sacred thing from her.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. It could only be her and with him leaning against the door, the knock was muffled. She would know he was there.

He couldn't avoid her, that was the coward's way out and he obviously would have to talk to her at some point. He opened the door and faced her. She had a worried look on her face, mixed with a hint of rejection.

"Are you ok?" she asked softly, inviting herself into his wing.

They stood in front of each other, not really looking at each other, mostly at the floor and the wall.

"Yeah. I just remembered something I had to do," he said, ruffling his hair a bit.

"Draco, I'm not an idiot. If you didn't want to do anything with me, you could have just said so."

He looked at her, surprised at her conclusion. "That's not it at all."

"Well, then why'd you run off?"

"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "Look, I just need some time to think. I told you before that I have a lot of mental hassles and I think I just need to sort them out right now."

Hermione dropped her gaze to the ground. She nodded her head slowly. "I told you that I wanted to help you."

"You can't help me. No one can." He said dismally.

"So you expect me to just hang back and wait for you to finally snap out of your mental anxiety?" She asked, gaining some of her true vigor. "I told you I loved you and that means that I want to put up with all the shit you throw my way, whether it's a mood swing or some serious problem. I don't like being left in the dark and waiting for something to happen."

Draco looked at her, watching her eyes take on a fiery glint. "I'm sorry. I can't…I just, please, just give me some time. A few days, that's all I ask. I need to do this alone; I need to make sure that I haven't completely lost my mind."

Hermione's gaze took on a softer glow. "Ok. I'll give you what you ask for. But I expect to know what's going on when you're through with whatever you need to sort out. I won't let this pass."

Draco gave a curt nod. Maybe a break from all of this would help them. If not, well that would be something they could deal with when he was ready to face her again.

She gave him one last look and left his wing.

* * *

Hermione had decided to stay at the Manor Friday night instead of going to her flat. The next day, she would take Narcissa to Ron's wedding and she thought it would be easier to just stay there instead of making too many unnecessary trips.

It had been five days since she and Draco had almost had sex. Five days with only seeing each other in Narcissa's presence and acting civil, as if nothing had ever happened between them.

Hermione wasn't going to lie to herself. It hurt. It hurt a lot. She had no idea what was going through his mind and that thought drove her mad. Being human, she couldn't help but feel that she was the reason he was acting so strangely. Maybe he really didn't love her. Maybe she wasn't attractive enough…maybe, maybe it was because she was muggleborn…

For once, she wasn't going to let the thoughts consume her. She was just going to remember the task at hand: to help Narcissa through her schizophrenia. So what if she cried a bit before she went to sleep? So what if she stared at the mirror for longer than necessary, pointing out her physical flaws? So what if her heart broke every time Draco smiled at his mother and not at her?

The day of the wedding came just at the perfect time. Hermione needed to escape the Manor and needed to talk to Isabelle. It was crucial.

Hermione adjusted the silver necklace around her neck. It had been a gift from Isabelle for making resident status at St. Mungo's. It had a purple stone set in the middle of a silver tear-drop and rested nicely in her cleavage.

She stepped back and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her dress was the same color as the stone: dark purple. When she moved, the dress almost sparkled. It came down to her knees and tied at the back of her neck in a halter fashion.

She had left her hair down and it looked wonderful, framing her face in soft layers. Her make-up was subtly done, light pink blush and neutral-toned eye shadow.

Hermione left her wing and knocked on Narcissa's door, ready to escort her to the wedding. Narcissa was magnificently dressed in deep blue dress robes. She always managed to make anyone feel inferior in her beauty. Her hair had been pulled back into a simple updo, leaving her fine bone structure to stand out. Her blue eyes shone against the deep blue fabric of the robes and Hermione felt horribly jealous.

"Narcissa, as always, you never cease to amaze me with how beautiful you are." Hermione said politely.

Narcissa smiled softly. "Thank you Hermione. I must say though, that you look absolutely gorgeous. You will be coming back from that wedding with many admirers."

Hermione bit back a frown and smiled instead. "Thank you. Are you ready to go then?"

"Yes, but we should say goodbye to Draco first." Narcissa said, taking Hermione's arm and walking gracefully towards the stairs.

Hermione bit back another frown and concentrated on not falling in her heels.

Narcissa knocked on Draco's double doors once they reached the second floor. Draco opened the door and couldn't stop himself from gaping at the beautiful girl attached to his mother's arm.

"We're leaving now Draco. Just came to say goodbye." Narcissa said, noticing the obvious stare directed towards the beautiful Healer.

"Uh, yeah ok. Have fun." He said softly, finally looking at his mother and kissing her goodbye on the cheek.

He almost grabbed Hermione and planted a fat kiss on those lightly tinted pouty lips of hers, but he had more control than that.

The two women left him and went on their way.

Draco slowly closed the door, walked back to his bed and resumed his previous position of staring at the ceiling.

Hermione had looked beyond gorgeous. But he thought that she was gorgeous before, regardless of what she wore, regardless of how she did her hair, regardless of her make-up use.

He had had a horrible past few days. He had dreamed of his father again, telling him that he didn't really love Hermione. Telling him that his doubts were true.

Love is tricky. There is no set definition for why people love, how people love, or how quickly people love. For every person it is different. For Draco, it was confusing as hell and scary. How did he know if he wasn't making a mistake in pursuing this wonderful girl who had absolutely no problems, whereas he had more problems than the whole wizarding world put together?

Draco almost smiled when he realized in that instant something that was so simple. He had completely abandoned his right-side of the brain. He had turned into an analyzing, rational, freak-o.

If he had just trusted his instincts and his emotions as he had originally done, than he wouldn't have been in this odd mess.

He actually did smile then. How could he have been so stupid? It was all so simple! He loved her and he loved her so much. Two weeks of being around her and he knew he loved her. Fuck his nightmares, fuck the rules of love, and just fuck anything that wasn't the angelic Healer he so wished to hold again.

All he had to do was wait until she came back from the wedding and he could talk to her. Until then…he had a house-elf talent show to judge, and due to the heartwarming realization, it would be a lot more enjoyable knowing that he would see her in just a few short hours.


	11. Wrestle with You in My Dreams

Disclaimer: I do not own HP related things.

A/N: The chapter title comes from the song, "Can't Stop" by Maroon 5

* * *

**Chapter 11: Wrestle with You in My Dreams**

Hermione almost fell over as a blur of light pink smothered her upon entrance to the beautifully decorated hotel reception hall.

"Herms! I've missed you!" Isabelle exclaimed, muffled in the embrace.

Hermione hugged Isabelle tight and finally pulled away. "Belle, you look stunning!" she said, surveying her friend in the light pink cocktail dress.

"Psh. Nothing compared to you! Goodness, look at you," Isabelle said with a large grin.

There were a few people milling about, waiting for the actual wedding to start. A few had taken their seats and many were standing greeting each other.

"Thanks," Hermione said with a slight nod of the head. "You remember Narcissa, of course."

Isabelle had turned to the quiet woman in the dark blue dress next to Hermione. "How could I forget the one woman who I'm most jealous of in the looks department?"

Narcissa's cheeks took on a pink color. "Nice to see you again, Isabelle."

"Always nice to see you, Narcissa," Isabelle said. "I mean, it's not fair coming to the wedding and looking better than the bride. I mean, seriously…if I were a lesbian, I would come after you so fast..."

"Ok Belle, thanks for that," Hermione said, trying to silence her colorful friend.

"Oh; sorry," Isabelle said with a laugh.

"So where is everyone?" Hermione asked, scanning the reception hall.

"Well Ron and Ellie are getting ready somewhere in the back, Harry is trying to keep Mrs. Weasley from completely breaking down and sobbing…uh…and then everyone else is just anxiously waiting for the reception and free food," Isabelle said.

She took Narcissa and Hermione's elbows and led them over to where Remus and Tonks were talking to Ellie's parents.

Aunt and niece greeted each other warmly and after they all said their salutations, Remus introduced them to Ellie's parents.

"This is Margaret and Wally Ennis. They portkeyed all the way from Wales."

"Hello, it's nice to finally meet you," Hermione said, shaking their hands. "I'm Hermione Granger, a friend of the groom's."

Narcissa shook their hands and introduced herself. "I'm Narcissa Malfoy," she said confidently, not even blinking at saying her surname.

The bride's parents looked at each other before turning back to the regal woman. "How…uh, nice to meet you Mrs. Malfoy."

Hermione and Isabelle caught the anxious looks between the two. Narcissa took it in her stride, though.

"Nice to meet you as well," she said with her chin pointed in the air, portraying the pure aristocracy she had come from.

"Ok, well, I think we should go find Harry." Isabelle said, dragging Hermione and Narcissa away from there.

"What prats," she mumbled under her breath.

"Belle!" Hermione whispered looking behind her to make sure they hadn't heard her friend.

"What? Ellie's wonderful, but her parents could learn some fuckin' manners," Isabelle said testily.

Hermione suppressed a laugh and followed Isabelle and Narcissa towards the open bar, where Harry was standing.

They greeted each other genially and he didn't even say anything when they introduced him to Narcissa. He was polite and friendly towards her which made Hermione proud that he was being so mature.

* * *

The second round of the house-elf talent show had made Draco very drowsy. He closed his eyes as the five house-elves on the mock-stage squeaked their rendition of 'YMCA.'

"Draco! There's no need to feel down."

"I said, Draco, pick yourself off the ground."

"I said, Draco, 'cause you're in a new town."

"There's no need. To. Be. Unhappy."

"It's fun to stay at the Malfoy Manor!"

"It's fun to stay at the Malfoy Manor!"

The elves stopped singing.

"Master Draco! Stop falling asleep!" the house-elf dressed as a Native American said.

Draco opened his eyes blearily and sighed. "I wasn't sleeping."

"Yes you were!" squeaked one of the female elves, dressed in a muggle police uniform. "Did you not like our song?"

Draco looked at the elf's quivering lower lip and the fat tear drops threatening to fall from her large violet eyes.

"Of course I liked your song…I just, had to close my eyes to, uh, absorb the standard nature of the, er, music."

"Oh good! Then we can continue!"

Draco leaned his head back as the next group of house-elves trudged onto the make-shift stage wearing what appeared to be some sort of lingerie. He almost lost the control over his laughter when they started singing some elfish version of "Lady Marmalade."

* * *

Hermione sat between Isabelle and Narcissa as they watched Ellie and Ron sign the Ministry forms at the head table. Wizard weddings were a bit different from muggle weddings.

A ministry official from the Wizard Licensing Department presented the documents that Ellie and Ron had to sign in order to become officially married. He would also ask them to exchange rings as they were seated at the head table.

Hermione noticed Narcissa's shaking hands as they watched the ceremony. She reached out and held her hands to calm them and Narcissa smiled at her gratefully.

"Do you see how much they love each other?" Hermione whispered to Narcissa. "They can't stop looking at each other and smiling."

Narcissa nodded then gestured over to Molly Weasley, who was sitting and watching with tears in her eyes as her son got married.

"She looks so happy," Narcissa said sadly. "I'll never get that experience."

"Oh, Narcissa," Hermione exclaimed softly. "Don't say that. You'll never know what could happen in the future."

"I won't live long enough to see my son be this happy," she said and looked down at her hands clasped with Hermione's. "He deserves someone to make him just as happy as Mr. Weasley is."

"No one knows how long any of us will live. People have survived worse ailments than you, Narcissa. As long as you keep death away from your thoughts then it won't have the chance to haunt you."

Narcissa smiled softly and squeezed Hermione's hands in thanks.

* * *

The ceremony came to a close and soon the many guests stood about dancing, chatting or enjoying the perks of the open bar.

Narcissa sat by Hermione at one of the many tables, watching the others dance to the string ensemble. Hermione was talking animatedly with Isabelle about all the news at the hospital.

Before long, a handsome, tall, young man with short fiery red hair and broad shoulders came up to them. He stood in front of Narcissa and had a contemplative look.

Narcissa looked back at him with an eyebrow raised. Hermione and Isabelle stopped in their gossip to watch.

"I'm sure I would remember a beautiful girl like you, but I just can't seem to," Charlie Weasley said slowly, looking at Narcissa kindly.

In Isabelle's unrestrained opinion at the beginning of the wedding, she had told Hermione that she found 28-year-old Charlie Weasley to be the most attractive of all the Weasley brothers.

Narcissa stayed silent.

"Did you go to Hogwarts?" he asked.

Narcissa nodded, a smirk slowly gracing her elegant features.

"Oh really? I don't remember seeing you there," he said.

"I wouldn't think you would, seeing as how I went to school with your mother and father, although they were a few years above me," Narcissa said with a small laugh.

"Yeah right," Charlie said with a chuckle. "You can't be any older than I am."

Hermione and Isabelle looked at each other, trying hard to contain their laughter at the fact that Charlie Weasley was shamelessly flirting with Narcissa.

"Oh, but I am," Narcissa said, still smirking.

"Well I'd be honored if you would join me for a dance and as we dance you can tell me all about how fraudulently older you must be," Charlie said extending his hand out with a confident smile.

Narcissa looked quickly to Hermione.

Hermione reassured Narcissa with a huge grin and a wink.

Narcissa took Charlie's hand and was led away to the dance floor.

Isabelle had tears in her eyes at holding back her laughter and the minute the blonde woman and red-headed man had left ear-shot, she burst into peals of laughter.

Hermione couldn't help her own laughter and joined her friend.

"I can't believe he didn't know who she was." Isabelle said.

"I hope he doesn't do anything rash when he does find out." Hermione said, calming down a bit from the laughter.

"Oh he's harmless. He'd probably try even harder to get in her pants if he found out she was once a Death Eater trophy wife. You know he loves anything adventurous, working with dragons and all. Oh and didn't Ron tell you? Charlie has been relocated to set up a dragon habitat in Brighton, which isn't too far from here."

"Get in her pants? He better do no such thing," Hermione said, appalled.

"Don't worry Herms…" Isabelle said at which point her eyes lit up. "Speaking of getting into people's pants, have you humped Malfoy dry yet?"

Hermione's jaw dropped at Isabelle's crudeness. "You are so disgusting, Belle."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "I haven't heard anything from you since the night of your date with Darien and me telling you that you should tell Draco about your little crush. So did you tell him about your little crush?"

Hermione looked down at the table. "Uh well, yeah, I did."

"You haven't had the courtesy to tell me until now?!" Isabelle exclaimed in an urgent tone.

"Belle…I'm in love with him," Hermione said quietly.

Isabelle stared at her friend. "You're in love with him?"

"Yeah, and I told him," Hermione's hands busied themselves with the silver confetti strewn about the table.

"What…what did he say?" Isabelle asked, noticing her breathing was a bit choppy from the sudden onslaught of surprising news.

"He said he loved me."

"Holy fucking fucks," whispered Isabelle. "When did this happen?"

"The day after he hired a hooker."

Isabelle's jaw dropped. "You're going to need to clarify, Hermione."

Hermione told Isabelle of what had happened that night: running into the prostitute, the angry banter between her and Draco, crying herself to sleep against her door, and waking up to find out Draco had slept right outside her door the entire night.

Isabelle nodded along in bewilderment at Hermione's recollection.

"The next morning I ignored him and set to a Cognitive Conditioning set for Narcissa. Draco had to tell his point of view because she just wasn't ready. I waited until they had left the garden and I just started sobbing uncontrollably."

"But you haven't cried over a patient in Merlin knows how many months," Isabelle added.

"Well the things that they both had had to experience were enough to make anyone cry. I can't really disclose anything, but trust me when I say it was beyond awful."

"Ok, so you sat there crying in the garden…then what?"

"Well, before I know it, Draco has me crying in his arms, just telling me everything was going to be ok and that those things would never happen to any of us again. For some reason, that's when I kind of knew…"

"Knew what? That you loved him?"

"Yeah…I know it kind of sounds stupid now and all, but ugh, I don't know."

"It doesn't sound stupid at all. As long as you felt the love, then that's all that matters. There is no set time for people to fall in love. It just happens and if you're mature enough, you'll realize it for what it is."

Hermione smiled at her friend. "But then some time later, something so confusing happened."

"Oh frick, don't tell me he started acting all male-like and started doubting everything."

"How'd you know?" Hermione laughed.

"He has a penis doesn't he? Most things with a penis are terrified of anything to do with connecting with someone on such a deep level, such as love. It's completely predictable," Isabelle said with a bored look. "So what was his _excuse_?"

Hermione felt her cheeks grow warm. "Well, we were kind of about to...you know."

"Have sex? Come on Herms, you're a Healer, you can say simple things like that." Isabelle said with a teasing smile.

"Yes, well we were kind of warming up to it, clothes still on, just kissing these, (sigh) , most wonderful kisses, and all of a sudden it dawns on me that we're about to have sex."

"You're not as smart as I thought. It took you that long to figure that out?"

"Shut up, Isabelle," Hermione said with a small smile. "As I was saying...you know how it would obviously be my first time and all, well I just kind of got nervous and he realized I was nervous and he asked me what was wrong. So I told him it was my first time and he completely froze."

"Typical," Isabelle snorted.

'Then he just gets up and leaves me, saying he couldn't do this and I followed him."

"What was his excuse? Erectile dysfunction?"

"Belle…" Hermione warned with a suppressed laugh. "He said that he needed time to think, that he had too many mental issues to deal with and that he wanted a few days to just go over everything."

"So did he ever snap out of his funk? Or does he still need time to 'think'?" Isabelle asked.

"Well, we haven't talked about it since then and he hasn't approached me, so I'm guessing he still needs time to himself. But I just can't help wonder if maybe it's me; that maybe he realized that he really doesn't love me, but he can't figure out a way to break it to me."

"Oh fuck that," Isabelle said strongly. "He does love you, by everything you've told me, he's just acting the way any guy would when faced with something so important and so fragile. Just forget about him for awhile. No use to depress yourself with his stupid predicament."

"But it's not that easy. I mean, I don't want him to go through it alone. I want to be there for him; let him know that I care."

"You're showing him you care by giving him the space he asked for." Isabelle said delicately. "Now, I know for a fact that it is Saturday and that means that you have a night off, so after the wedding, you're coming to my flat and we're going to have a girl's night. I'll find a way to bribe Harry away to his own house for the night."

"Already sleeping together?" Hermione asked.

Isabelle smiled. "Yeah…we don't get around to much sleeping though."

"Ugh…no more on this subject," Hermione said with a scowl.

"So are you coming to my place or what?"

"I'll escort Narcissa home and then I'll come by. I'll borrow some of your pyjamas because I don't feel like stopping by my flat," Hermione said tiredly.

Isabelle laughed and soon Narcissa was dragging Charlie over to where they were sitting.

"Will you please tell him that I am not lying," Narcissa said with an amused smile.

Charlie rolled his eyes. "She's trying to convince me that she's Lucius Malfoy's widow and the younger Malfoy's mother. I admit she does look like she could be a Malfoy, but I think she's just teasing me. She's way too young to have a kid that old."

Hermione and Isabelle exchanged another look, this time a very pleased one.

"It's true Charlie. That's Narcissa Malfoy," Hermione said.

He looked between the three of them. They looked completely serious. A smile crossed his rugged features.

"So you really are twelve years older than me?" he asked.

Narcissa nodded.

Charlie smirked. "Well then, this calls for another dance."

Hermione and Isabelle watched in awe as Charlie took Narcissa by the arm again and led her back to the dance floor.

"Who would have thought that Charlie liked older women?" Harry said as he sat down next to his girlfriend and female best friend.

Hermione and Isabelle turned to Harry who was watching Narcissa and Charlie dance to a slow number.

"Well seeing as how Narcissa is one of the most beautiful women on the planet, it's a surprise that all the men haven't left their significant others to just be in her presence." Isabelle said soundly.

Harry laughed, but soon his laugh ended as two people came into view.

Ginny Weasley and an attractive man on her arm came up to their table.

"Hey guys," Ginny said in a friendly tone.

Hermione noticed Isabelle tense and Harry nervously clear his throat.

"Uh, hey Gin," Harry said.

Hermione turned to the red-head. "Hey Ginny. How are you?"

Ginny smiled. "I'm great. Been having a blast in Texas."

"Riding as many cowboys as she can…" Isabelle said under her breath so that only Hermione heard.

"This is Billy Joe." Ginny said, pointing to the man next to her.

Hermione, Harry and Isabelle had to suppress their smiles at the stereotypical name given to the Texan.

"Nice to meet y'all," he said with a tip of his head.

"Likewise." Hermione said. "Are you enjoying England?"

"It's ok. Sure is cloudy though. But then, nothing can really compare to the good ol' sunny skies back home."

"How lovely," Hermione commented.

Harry cleared his throat again. "This is my girlfriend, Isabelle."

Ginny looked at the blonde girl sitting next to Harry. Isabelle was wearing a confident smile.

"Nice to finally meet you," Isabelle said politely.

"You as well." Ginny said. She turned back to Hermione. "Is my older brother really dancing with Narcissa Malfoy?"

"Yes. He seems quite taken with her," Hermione said.

Ginny shrugged and then said goodbye to the three of them, going off to congratulate Ron and Ellie.

"Well that wasn't awkward." Isabelle said sardonically.

Harry smiled at her. "She doesn't hold a candle to you, Belle."

Isabelle smiled back and soon they went off to dance, leaving Hermione sitting and watching all the happy couples around her. She didn't feel jealous or angry that she wasn't out there with all of them, but she felt a certain sense of foreboding loss that she would never have what they had.

There was no doubt in her mind that Draco was the one she wanted. She loved him and first loves never truly dissipated. He would always be the one she genuinely loved and because he was imprisoned, hiding out from the Ministry, she would never know the luxuries of being seen out in public with him or even being married to him.

Marriage was a scary thought, but Hermione knew that she couldn't imagine anyone else who fit the role of her life-long mate as much as Draco did. She shook the thought away.The stupid man was scared of being in love…the thought of marriage would push him over the edge into insanity.

* * *

Hermione finally managed to drag Charlie away from Narcissa before the wedding came to a close. Isabelle kept Narcissa occupied while Hermione led Charlie over to a corner in the reception hall.

"So did you have a good time?" Hermione asked with a smile.

"Are you kidding? Cissa's fantastic!" Charlie said with a matching smile.

"Cissa?" asked Hermione with a veiled laugh.

Charlie's cheeks hinted at a blush. "Well yeah, she's great. I'm thinking of seeing her again."

Hermione's smile disappeared. "Oh Charlie, you do realize she's twelve years older than you, don't you?"

"So?" Charlie answered with a shrug.

Hermione sighed. "I'm not supposed to just spread this around, but she's schizophrenic."

Charlie thought for a moment. "How do you know?"

"I'm her Healer."

He thought again. "Well she seemed perfectly fine when I spoke to her. She's funny and smart and well, not like any other girl around."

Hermione wrenched her hands together. "Look, you can see her again and if I see that you're not hindering her mental health, then I can allow it to continue."

"So I basically need your permission?" he asked with an indication of a grin.

"She's under my care and I won't let anything interfere in my treatment of her. Maybe, just maybe, I think that you could probably be beneficial in a way. But you better not mess around, Charlie. If you want to see her again, you have to be completely serious and noble in your advances. I won't let her get hurt again. I absolutely will not let it happen."

Charlie smiled. "So do you think my parents are completely going to flip?"

"You're really certain about this then?"

"Yeah. She just has this nature about her that really is so lively, not to mention she's the most beautiful female I've ever laid eyes on," he said, looking past Hermione to the blonde woman standing a few meters away.

"Well you should go tell her that you want to see her again. I hope you know what you're getting into," Hermione said with a hopeful sigh.

"Always have loved a challenge," he said before walking away.

Hermione watched him walk back over to where Narcissa was standing. She saw them talk for a bit and then Narcissa smile and nod.

Hermione prayed to whatever was listening that this would help Narcissa's skewed view of attraction and the male species.

* * *

Narcissa walked back into the Manor quietly after saying goodbye to Hermione at the apparation point. The Manor was quiet and dark, meaning that Draco had already gone to bed, so she quietly made her way to her son's room.

She opened the door to his wing and found him sleeping on one of the couches in his living room. She knelt down next to him and stroked his pale cheek with her manicured hand. He was the most important thing to her and when he slept, she knew he was at peace.

She regretted her action when his bright, grey eyes suddenly fluttered open.

"Oh my love, I didn't mean to wake you," she said softly.

"No it's ok. I don't like sleeping on the couch anyways. How was the wedding?" he asked, sitting up.

Narcissa took a set next to him on the couch. "Very fun actually. I don't know why your father hated the Weasleys so much. They're very delightful."

Draco missed the buried smirk his mother held. "Well I'm glad you enjoyed it."

He looked down at his hands and then back at his mother. "Where is Healer Granger?"

"She has the weekend off and she's spending it with her friend Isabelle." Narcissa said, noticing the dejected look her son gave, "Ok, well I'll let you get to sleep. I'm completely exhausted."

"Night, mum."

"Bon nuit, dear," she said with a soft smile and kiss to the cheek.

* * *

Hermione arrived at Isabelle's flat and knocked.

She heard a muffled 'come in' and opened the door.

"Isabelle!" Hermione exclaimed when she saw her friend curled up on the couch, sobbing. "What on earth happened?"

"Oh Herms! It was awful!" Isabelle gasped between sobs.

Hermione sat down next to her distressed friend and pulled her into her lap, consoling her.

"What's wrong, Belle?"

"It…it had to d-do with that stupid f-firecrotch!" Isabelle stuttered.

"Ginny?"

Isabelle sniffed in response, ceasing her sobbing and resting her head in her friends lap, facing up.

"Tell me what happened," Hermione said, stroking the blonde strands in a calming fashion.

Isabelle took a breath and wiped her cheeks. "Well, it was so fucking stupid. During the wedding, she asked Harry to dance and he asked me if I was ok with it, and I totally was. I mean why should I have a problem? I have nothing to be jealous of."

"Then what?"

"So he danced with her and I was fine with it and all, I mean I'm not some psychotic bitch who is going to be all envious and motherly and prohibit him from dancing with an ex of his…"

"Ok."

"So we get back to my flat after the wedding and he's about to take off his jacket when I tell him that he has to go to his house for the night because you're coming over…"

Hermione's heart clenched as Isabelle started to cry again.

"Oh Belle, it's ok, doll."

"I just d-d-don't understand why he reacted s-so badly," Isabelle cried. "He said that if I didn't want him to dance with Ginny in the first place, I should have just said so. I tried to tell him that kicking him out for the night had nothing to do with that and he said I was l-lying."

"He thinks that you told him to leave because you were mad at him for dancing with Ginny?"

Isabelle nodded and hiccoughed.

"When in reality you really didn't care about him dancing with her," Hermione said.

"Exactly. I mean, I'm confident enough in our relationship to trust him that he would never do anything with anyone. I don't have such low self-esteem to think that she could steal him from me."

Hermione smiled at her friend. "She wouldn't even have a chance."

Isabelle smiled weakly back. "Well anyways, he kind of yelled at me for not telling him how I felt and then just left."

"Sounds like something he would do." Hermione said thoughtfully. "Always been a rash person."

"Yeah well…I'm not going to apologize because I did nothing wrong."

"You shouldn't have to! He should come crawling back for forgiveness for acting like such a prat." Hermione said with indignation.

Isabelle nodded dully, still sniffling. "I need a drink."

"What would you like?"

"Oh I don't have anything here. I haven't had time to stop by the liquor store and stock up. Can we go out to a pub?" Isabelle asked.

Hermione couldn't refuse the grief-stricken look in Isabelle's eyes. "Ok. Let's go."

They didn't bother changing, so they stayed in their wedding attire: Isabelle in her light pink cocktail dress, and Hermione in her dark purple halter dress. They made their way over to a new wizard pub that catered exclusively to the younger crowd.

The Prickly Pub was only a small walk away from Isabelle's flat so they ventured out and made the short trek.

Upon arrival to the dimly lit pub, Isabelle and Hermione took seats on the farthest stools from others at the bar.

"Wha' can I get ya, loves?" the barman asked as he approached them.

"I'll have a shot of the strongest shit you got." Isabelle said, twirling an abandoned coaster on the counter.

"Tough night?" he asked as he pulled out a shot glass from under the counter and a bottle of a bright red liquid.

Isabelle shrugged in response.

Hermione rubbed her back reassuringly. "I'll have what she's having."

Isabelle looked up at Hermione. "Really? You've never had anything stronger than a virgin strawberry margarita."

Hermione laughed. "Can't a girl branch out a bit?"

Isabelle smiled and chuckled quietly.

"There we go! See, we should just forget about the stupidity of the male specimen tonight and have fun with whatever nectar Mr. Barman sends our way," Hermione exclaimed.

Isabelle smiled wider. "Hear hear!" she said and picked up the shot glass, tipping her head back and tilting the contents swiftly into her mouth.

Hermione watched Isabelle grimace as the strong liquor burned its way down her throat.

The barman placed a shot glass in front of Hermione and another one in front of Isabelle.

Isabelle lifted her shot glass up and waited for Hermione to do so as well.

"Here's to all the idiot pricks out there that can't seem to decide what's going on in those teeny tiny brains of theirs. Specifically stupid immature boys who haven't grown up and always seem to ruin a good thing when they have it."

Hermione smiled and clinked glasses with her red-eyed friend. The liquor, whatever it was, burned her mouth as if it were pure rubbing alcohol. She coughed and felt her eyes tear up after she swallowed the entire glass in one gulp.

---- **Three hours and eleven shots of anise liqueur later** ----

"And then, then I told him that…that…that he better not take the shtupid wand fwom me because I jusssst don't and then there was thish big troll standing in flont of me and…zzzzz."

The barman watched as the blonde girl finished her incoherent story and slumped over in unconscious sleep across the counter, spreading the shot glasses everywhere.

Hermione hiccoughed and laid her head on one of her hands as she watched Isabelle snore loudly on the counter. The past few hours were a drunken blur and her thoughts were extremely jumbled. She couldn't think straight and even forgot what she was doing for moments at a time.

The barman turned to her and pointed to the sleeping Isabelle.

"Can you get her home?"

Hermione nodded slowly. She really didn't know what he had asked but figured that nodding would give her a 50/50 chance of giving him the response he wanted.

A few minutes later she finally formulated enough brain power to lift Isabelle up off the stool and drag her out the door.

* * *

Draco lay sleeping in his massive bed. He had finally managed to doze off after thinking about what a complete idiot he had been in regards to the girl he loved. He had pushed her away because of a stupid dream that had put thoughtless doubts in his mind.

It would be one more day before he would see Hermione. He couldn't wait to just tell her that he did in fact love her and that he was dimwitted in doubting what they had.

Sleep was nice. Sleep brought nightmares, but then it also brought dreams. Erotic dreams, too.

_Draco lay on his bed watching Hermione stalk slowly up to him wearing a bra and panty set in the irresistible shade of dark green. He smirked at her choice of color._

"_I've been saving myself for you, Draco," she said in low voice. "You get to claim me as your own. I get to be yours and yours alone."_

_He could feel arousal start in the heat of his abdomen. It worked its way down to his groin and he continued watching her predatorily walk towards him. She was closer now. She was standing next to him on the bed._

_She smiled at the effect she had on him, his erection obvious from the tent in the thin cotton sheets._

"_Is that for me, Draco?" she asked in a low purr._

_Draco leered at her. "No."_

_She crawled onto the bed, coming face to face with the blond Adonis._

"_No?" she whispered in his ear, making the tent in the sheets higher than before._

"_Mhmm. It's for someone else."_

_Hermione gave a small pout and leaned in to kiss his lips. She gave them a soft peck and before he could pull her in closer, she moved away._

"_I don't like when you tease me, Draco," she said in a breathy voice. "Now, I will show you that your manhood belongs to me…"_

_Draco watched as she slithered down his body, placing chaste kisses on his bare chest as she moved._

_She pulled the sheet down, revealing his proud and swollen member. It stood tall among a curly blond forest. She ran a solitary fingernail through those curly blond hairs and received a hiss of pleasure in return._

_He could have sworn he heard a giggle, but looking directly at her, she only held a small sneer of dominance. _

_Hermione wrapped her delicate fingers around his staff. He held his breath to prevent a satisfied moan that could give away what little pride he had left. As much as he wanted to just rip of those green knickers and impale her, he decided that her hand would be fine for the time being._

_Before he could lean back and enjoy the workings of her hand, he felt a hot breath near the base of his erection. He watched in awe as she stuck her tongue out and licked his entire length, this time eliciting a low moan from him._

_Her tongue made a stop at the very tip; circling the head and making his hips involuntarily rise up off the bed._

_Draco heard another giggle come from down below but didn't give two fucks why she would be giggling. Hermione's mouth on his erection was the more important topic in his mind._

_He tangled his fingers in the sheets as Hermione took him in her mouth, starting at the top and slowly easing her way down._

_Draco would have never guessed that the practical virgin would be able to give proper oral satisfaction. It wasn't something someone could just read in a book and be able to do._

_It was strange though when he felt drool slide down his member and down to his thigh. The added giggle also seemed a bit strange._

_Ok, so a bit of drool was fine. Maybe she had gone overboard in trying to lubricate him with her mouth. Either way, she was still bobbing up and down, making his head fog in hazy lust again._

_Another giggle. The room was slowly starting to dim as if the sun was quickly falling. Draco didn't care though, he could go blind and still not care as long as the sexy Healer kept doing what she was doing._

"_OW!" he yelped when he felt her teeth graze his sensitive manhood._

_Hermione giggled. "Oopsh."_

_The giggle and the 'oopsh' sounded very loud to him at that moment and finally the room completely darkened._

Draco opened his eyes in the dark and using the light from the moon streaming in through his window, he found a giggly, messy-haired Hermione holding his erect penis and licking it like a popsicle.

"What the fuck?" he asked, shaking his head from the previous sleep-state he was in.

He reached down and gently nudged her head and mouth away from him. He unwrapped her fingers off his appendage and pulled his boxer shorts back up.

"Hermione?" he asked, watching her lay back onto the bed and burst into another fit of giggles.

"Shhh…mushtn't wake up Drakie-poo," she slurred in between laughs.

Draco grabbed his wand from the bedside table and turned the lights on. Hermione was still wearing the clothes she had worn to the wedding, albeit much more wrinkled and stained with spilled drinks.

The reek of alcohol assaulted his nostrils and he had to stop himself from gagging.

"Are you drunk?" he asked slowly, watching her sit up lazily.

"Are _you_ drunk?" she asked with a mock severity, pulling her smile into a frown.

"Fuck, Hermione, what's wrong with you?" he asked, getting out of the bed.

"You have the tastiest cock in the world, Draco," she said and burst into more giggles.

Draco ran his hand over his face. He couldn't believe that she had gotten intoxicated and attempted to give him a blowjob while he slept. Well, it explained the drool and the giggling he had heard in his dream.

"How did you get here?" he asked, hoping that she could formulate some intelligent sentences.

"Uh…I flooed from Belle's flat," she said with a yawn.

"Why didn't you go back to your own place?" he asked, watching her scoot to the head of the bed and climb under the covers.

"I don't remember. Maybe I like thish place better," she replied with another yawn before instantly falling asleep.

He watched as her head drooped to one side and her chest rise and fall with the obvious signs of deep sleep.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He really didn't know what to make of the situation. It was too much for him to think through and he couldn't really figure anything out with her passed out.

Draco would have to wait until morning to see what went through Hermione's mind through this whole fiasco.

He watched her sleeping, looking serene as she took drowsy, deep breaths. He shook his head and climbed back into his bed, laying down next to her and turning out the lights.

Her eyebrows were furrowed and he could still see her features using the moonlight. He wondered what she could possibly be dreaming of.

Draco reached out and brought her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her and letting her head rest in the crook of his neck.

Her warm breath against his neck was incredibly soothing, despite the strong stench of alcohol that came along with it. He closed his eyes and reveled in having his love in his arms, the way it should always have been.

He almost jumped when he heard her mumbling.

"B-but I love him so much…he just…he just doesn't love me back…but…" she said, breaking the silence of her sleep.

Draco looked down at her, wondering if she was talking about him and hoping to all the natural forces that she didn't think he didn't love her, because that couldn't have been farther from the truth.


	12. A True Love Withholding Nothing

Disclaimer: uhhh no.

A/N: The chapter title comes from the song "Song for You" by Michael Buble

* * *

**Chapter 12: A True Love Withholding Nothing**

The dull pounding in Hermione's head was slowly escalating to a sharp jabbing pain. It was excruciating and unceasing.

A very pained groan escaped her lips as she flipped onto her other side. Instantly, a bright, blinding light attacked her corneas through her closed eyelids. Another groan.

Hermione buried her head under the pillow she was currently resting on. But it didn't smell like her usual shampoo. It had a different scent. A musky, earthy scent. A familiar, musky, earthy scent.

Opening her eyes was an intense effort on her part. Every tiny move she made hurt more than the last. She wiped her eyes from sleep and looked around at her surroundings.

This wasn't her flat, or Isabelle's flat, or her wing at the manor.

'Where am I?' she asked herself.

She was alone in a huge bed. Memories of the night before assaulted her mind at that moment. The wedding, Isabelle's flat, the pub…but that was all.

The last thing she remembered was drinking with Isabelle at The Prickly Pub. What on earth had possessed her to drink? She was a social drinker: wine at fancy dinners, and other formal functions. But other than that, Hermione didn't really like it much.

She understood drinking one shot of liquor, but not to the point of being completely intoxicated. She couldn't even remember anything happening after leaving the pub. She could barely remember leaving the pub.

Her head throbbed in pain. She heard a noise coming from one of the closed doors to her right. Before she could wonder what was making the noise, Draco opened the door and walked out. He was dressed for the day: navy polo and khaki slacks.

"Morning," he said with a small smile.

Hermione blinked. "What are you doing here?"

"This is my room," he said carrying a glass of water.

"Your room?" she asked slowly. "Why am I in your room?"

He didn't answer her, but instead, handed her the glass of water. He took a seat on the edge of the bed next to her.

"What's in this?"

"Just water; I don't have any hangover potions," he said, his smile growing.

"Ugh. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to show up drunk. You must think so poorly of me. I never usually drink. I just got carried away with Belle and I don't even know how I ended up here and…."

"It's ok. No need to ramble," he laughed.

She gave him a half-smile and drank the water.

"Do you remember anything from last night?" Draco asked, taking the empty glass from her and placing it on the bedside table.

Hermione rubbed her aching temples. "No, I don't even remember leaving the pub."

Draco laughed. "That's interesting."

"Don't laugh so loud…it's magnified with this migraine," she groaned. "What time is it?"

"Almost one."

"In the afternoon?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah," he replied. She was still wearing the dress she had on at the wedding and her hair was sticking up in many directions.

"I must look a right mess," she mused, watching as his eyes raked over her.

"No. Adorably messy though," he smiled.

"Adorable? I don't think so," she replied.

"Well you're hung-over, so your opinion doesn't count," he said. "I'm going to go have lunch with my mum. She doesn't know you're here, so you can recuperate in your wing if you'd like so she doesn't insist you join us for lunch."

At the word 'lunch,' Hermione felt extremely nauseous.

"Uh-oh," she managed to say before jumping out of the bed and into the room Draco had emerged from, which turned out, to be, luckily, his bathroom.

She found the toilet just in time and emptied her stomach contents from the accumulated amounts of hard liquor. She barely noticed her hair being pulled back away from her face by strong hands.

She tried to wave him away from the mortifying sight of her vomiting, but he stood adamant in holding back her hair.

Hermione finished her business and wiped her mouth, not daring to look at Draco who had finally let go of her hair and was leaning against the wall watching her.

"That was a bit humiliating," Hermione said, standing up wobbly and attempting to straighten her dress out.

And in an instant, she did something very unlike her. She put her hands to her face and started to cry.

Draco reached her in less than two steps, moving her messy hair from her face and wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?"

Hermione just shook her head as her shoulders shook with suppressed sobs.

"Oh come on, throwing up isn't _that_ embarrassing. You've done worse," Draco reassured her.

"Huh?" she asked, wiping her eyes

Draco realized his mistake. Should he tell her of her major faux pas or keep it from her? She needed to know.

He took a breath and brought his hands away from her face placing them in his pockets instead.

"What do you mean I've done worse?" she asked.

"Last night…."

"Oh no, please don't tell me I did something like sing or dance or…oh my goodness…did we uh, did we do it?" she asked, wondering why she woke up in his room. "That's why I woke up in your bed…"

"No. Well, you see, you were really, really drunk, so I know it's not how you would normally act."

"I wouldn't have gotten drunk in the first place, but I don't know what got into me…."

"It's ok. I'm not judging you, trust me. Anyways, do you really want to hear this?"

Hermione looked dumbstruck for a moment, but she nodded her head slowly. "Yes, please tell me."

"You tried to suck me off while I was sleeping," he said, looking straight at her, watching her eyebrows furrow and her jaw clench.

"What?" she said after a few seconds of silence.

"You came into my room and tried to uh, give me a blowjob," said Draco.

Hermione's cheeks took on a shade of scarlet. "I d-did?"

"Yeah, but listen, you were drunk and you had no control over your actions."

"I have to go," she said and pushed past him.

"Wait, Hermione…."

"WHAT?! What do you want?!" she shrieked at him, making his jaw drop. "Any other mortifying things I've done that you can have a good laugh at?"

"It's not like that. I never laughed at you. Stop walking away and talk to me."

Hermione turned around and the look in her eyes made him stop in his tracks of her pursuit.

"Now you want to talk? After a week of avoiding me? I don't want you to get used the notion that I am at your every beck and call. Whenever Draco Malfoy feels like talking, I should just drop everything and come listen to him with open ears. I'd rather not face you right now so if it's alright with your majesty, I'll leave now and don't expect me until I'm back on-call."

Draco watched as she slammed the door to his wing and left. He blinked a few times and went after her. He didn't like being told off and then not being able to have a word in.

He opened his door but didn't find her in the hallway, nor up in her wing, nor anywhere in the house for that matter. He asked Snot and Poopy if they had seen her and they shook their heads sadly.

A female house-elf, who was in charge of the maintenance of the foyer, reported to Draco that the Healer had ran out the door and apparated at the apparation point.

Draco let out a frustrated sigh and walked into the dining room where his mother was waiting for him.

"Draco, dear, why the sad face?" she asked as she sipped at her water.

He shook his head slowly. "Remember a few weeks ago, I told you that I sort of had feelings for Hermione?"

"Yes, but really, you didn't have to tell me since it was so blatantly obvious you two had feelings for each other," she said with an air of nonchalance.

"Well, we're in love. Or I'm in love with her, and I hope she's still in love with me."

"Still in love? Did you two have a row?"

"I, well, I don't know. You see…."

He told her all about the dream he had had featuring Lucius and the horrible feeling of doubt he carried throughout that whole week. He told her about telling Hermione that he needed time to think about everything and how she had respected his wish and left him alone.

He did _not_ tell her about the previous night of drunken Hermione. She didn't need to know _everything_.

"Well why didn't you speak to her about your doubts?" Narcissa asked.

"Uh, I…I don't know. I thought maybe that she would, maybe think less of me. I kind of thought I was going crazy," he said softly.

"Oh Draco, love, you aren't going crazy," Narcissa said with a look of empathy. "You are just scared of this sudden rush of feelings you have for Hermione. I agree with you that it is a bit fast, but you two have come to know each other very well. You know about her childhood and her fears and her triumphs and she knows the same of you."

"But I haven't told her everything. I mean, there are some things in my past that I don't want her to judge me for."

"Listen to yourself, Draco. You have major trust issues mostly due to the fact that you had no support system as a child. Your father wasn't a trustworthy person and when you joined that abomination of a group, you lost all feeling of trust with anyone. Those Death Eaters judged you and they would have betrayed you in instant.

"Not everyone is like that, dear. You and I both know that Hermione is not the type of person to judge. She fell in love with you despite the fact that as a child, you used to torture her and her friends relentlessly. She fell in love with you despite the things you had to do in order to appease your father."

Draco sat with his eyes fixed on the wooden table. "I messed up, mum."

"We all do, love. We all mess up and we all try and redeem ourselves. Talk to her. Just go and talk to her. You don't have to tell her everything, but just tell her what you've told me. I know there are things you went through that you would like no one to know about, but I think it's time you started trusting someone who loves you as much as you do them."

Draco nodded his head. "Ok. I wanted to talk to her and tell her that I wasn't going to pay any mind to those doubts, but she's staying with Isabelle for the weekend."

"Well the weekend is practically over. Tonight is Sunday and she should be here by nightfall."

Draco nodded again…it would be a long night.

* * *

"Hermione? What are you doing here, babe?" Isabelle asked, looking refreshed and perky for the day, whereas Hermione was _still_ in her drunken wedding attire and sported tear-filled eyes.

"Oh Isabelle…I did something horrible. Oh goodness I did something so, so horrible," said Hermione, walking into Isabelle's flat.

"First things first, Herms," she said. "Let me get you some hang-over potion. Go into my room and change into some better clothes and I'll grab the potion."

Hermione nodded numbly and did as she was told. She met Isabelle back in her living room and accepted the hang-over potion, swallowing it in one gulp and sitting back on the couch.

"Now, start from the beginning."

Hermione took a breath and spilled everything that had happened.

To say Isabelle was shocked would have been a gross understatement. "I thought you went back to your flat last night."

"Well apparently I didn't. Sucking off Draco while he slept seemed like a much better option in my drunken state," Hermione said coldly.

Isabelle sighed. "You're in the wrong."

"What?"

"You shouldn't have just run off this morning. You acted just like Harry did yesterday. You didn't give Draco the chance to explain and you assumed that he found amusement in what happened."

Hermione looked down at her hands. "I can't believe this happened. If he had doubts about our love before, this definitely pushed him towards the negative side."

Isabelle sighed again. "Go talk to him. And I won't say this again, but he loves you. He really truly loves you and those doubts were just him being scared and you know what kind of a past he comes from...his father was b-f-f with the most evil being to grace this earth. He has issues in his life with commitment, love, trust and I don't even know why _I'm _telling you this since you're the neuropsychiatric Healer. Please, Hermione…just go. Trust me on this."

It was Hermione's turn to sigh. "Ok, I'll go talk to him. But I think I should go clean up a bit and not show up as a drunken waste."

Isabelle smiled. "You can use my shower and I think I have a whole bag of clothes that you've left here over the years, so that should work out fine."

* * *

Hermione came back out into Isabelle's living room wearing jeans and a pink blouse.

"You always manage to look good, Herms," Isabelle said, looking up from a medical journal parchment.

"Did I mention that Draco told me he prefers my old hair?"

Isabelle grinned. "Draco Malfoy prefers knotty, frizzy, non humidity-friendly Hermione Granger hair?"

Hermione laughed. "Yes, and so do I."

"Ok, I'll take off the straightening charm, but you have to promise me that you'll use conditioner from now on," Isabelle said.

"Fine, fine," Hermione agreed.

A few seconds later, Hermione's old curls graced her head. No matter how hard Isabelle tried, a teeny bit of frizz managed to stay and actually didn't look too bad.

"You'll knock him dead. Now go on back. You said he wasn't expecting you until night fall? Well, this will be a very pleasant surprise," Isabelle said.

"Thank you, Isabelle. For everything," Hermione said.

"Not a problem. Floo me when you have a chance and tell me every single excruciating detail."

Hermione nodded and hugged her friend goodbye, before turning to the door and leaving back to the manor.

* * *

Draco looked out the window of his office, watching a few house elves trim the bushes and plant some new flowers. It was almost 3 in the afternoon and he knew he had a long wait until he could talk to Hermione again.

He was a bit angry that she had just walked out and not let him talk. That was an extremely frustrating habit he hoped she wouldn't get used to, because he would most certainly not allow it.

He turned back to the rolls of parchment on his desk that he was supposed to get back to Headmistress McGonagall soon, so he set to working on them.

Minutes passed as he sat adding up various sums and calculating financial variations. He scribbled down assorted notes and soon the sound of his quill scratching against the parchment drowned out most external noises. Noises such as the door to his wing opening…

…or noises such as a certain Healer tentatively walking in. He didn't notice her walk up to his desk. His eyes were darting back and forth across the parchment, trying to decipher Professor Sprout and Apprentice Longbottom's messy scrawl on new Herbology equipment purchases.

Hermione watched him as he wrote quickly, his grey eyes moving with his quill movements; he was so absorbed in his work that he obviously didn't see her standing in front of his desk.

She cleared her throat and he looked up at her, a bit startled. His eyes widened when he saw who it was.

"Your hair," he said simply.

"Yeah," she replied.

She watched him stand up from his desk and come around to stand in front of her. She could see a slight tinge of anger in his grey irises. There was also an underlying emotion that was visible; it clouded his eyes and she was sure she knew what it was.

He towered over her in an overbearing way, making her feel small and a bit ashamed of herself for treating him so poorly that morning. He was easily at least one foot taller than her 5 foot 3 inch frame.

Hermione's breathing slowed down as he reached his hand out and traced her jaw line with his index finger. His eyes wouldn't meet hers, since they were following his finger's path, but she could still see the annoyance there.

She watched his face get closer to hers. She blinked and in that second his lips were on her lips, dominating and demanding.

He conveyed his anger through that searing kiss, his teeth nipped at her lower lip and she tasted the tangy hint of her own blood. That was a ridiculous turn-on: his aggressiveness, even if it was displayed through their kiss.

Draco licked her lower lip, sweeping any trace of blood and pulled back. She stood their panting, running her tongue over her lower lip.

"You will not run away from a problem like that again, do you understand?" he asked in a domineeringly strict tone.

"Who do you think you are telling me what to do?" Hermione countered, her own anger breaking through. She stepped away from him."You avoided me for a whole week and now you get mad because I walked away from you?"

"Those things are different. I didn't avoid you. You could have come up to me at any time and talked to me. You, on the other hand, completely disregarded what I had to say to you. I don't like that, Hermione. It's a very demeaning behavior and it makes me feel as if what I have to say isn't important."

"You know that's not true!" Hermione said, throwing her arms up in frustration. "You know I was upset and mortified about what I did and I just needed time alone. I gave you a whole week to be alone, I doubted myself and kept thinking that I was the reason you were having doubts about us. I felt like I wasn't good enough! You wouldn't talk to me about anything, so what did you want me to do?"

"I told you that it was my own mental trouble that was giving me problems so why did you think it was about you? I'm fucking crazy about you! I'm constantly thinking about you. You're so infuriating and so damn perfect and there are so many little annoyances about you, but I love every fucking one."

"Why were you having doubts if you are allegedly so crazy about me?" she asked, pacing in front of his desk as he leaned against it.

Draco sighed. "It was something pretty dumb."

"What was it?" Hermione asked, ceasing her pacing and standing in front of him. "Just tell me. I just want to understand."

Draco looked into her eyes. They were hard to read, as usual, not like his, that displayed his emotions like a projector.

"The night I took you out into the hedge-maze, I had a dream where…well, I had a dream that my father was speaking to me and telling me all these things about how I don't really love you and that things were going too fast for it to be real and I just, for some reason it sort of stuck with me.

"I know it sounds stupid now, but that time when I think we were about to have sex and you told me it was your first time, I just felt like I'm not the one for you. I mean, you obviously were waiting for the right person and I didn't see how that could be me…

"I'm sorry for feeling that way and I'm sorry for making you doubt yourself because you're perfect and now I just want to be selfish and take you all for myself. I don't want anyone else to have you and I don't want you ever to feel like you're not good enough for me because you are. You're more than good enough for me. You're more than I could ever ask for."

He stopped in his rambling and chanced a look at her face. She was smiling slightly and looking at him with intense emotion. He could actually see some of that emotion shine through her brown eyes this time.

"Why didn't you just come and talk to me about that?" she asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. I just couldn't face you and tell you how….how scared I was. Now, I just want you to know that I've overcome those doubts and realized they were so wrong and so unnecessary, but that they needed to happen so that I could prove to myself that I really did love you."

Hermione stepped closer to him. "Are we going to have this conversation every time we're together? Are we going to have to reinforce our feelings for each other every time? I love you, Draco and I know it's scary and I know it's hard to trust others after what you've been through, but you have to know that I will never judge you nor will I ever think any less of you for your thoughts."

Draco reached out and pulled her closer to him until she was flush against his chest, close enough to count his dark blond eyelashes.

"I've missed you," he said, his lips ghosting across her pouty lips.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And I'm sorry for being a complete prat. I shouldn't have pushed you away."

"Forgive and forget," she said, itching to connect their lips. She closed her eyes so that she wouldn't end up cross-eyed trying to look at him because they were so close. "I'm sorry for being so upset this morning…and for performing drunken, uh, fellatio on you last night."

He chuckled deeply, his chest vibrating with mirth against hers. "It was actually not that bad, until you nipped me with your teeth and drooled on me."

Hermione pulled back quickly. "Oh Merlin…I'm, I'm so sorry. That is so embarrassing."

"Don't worry. You were drunk and obviously not in control of your actions. Like you said, forgive and forget."

"I'd rather you just forget completely," she said with a huge splay of pink across her cheeks.

"Can I make it up to you?" he asked.

"Make what up to me? I'm the one who bit your peep," said Hermione, her blush deepening even further.

Draco chuckled again, kissing the corner of her mouth. "I want to show you how much I love you, that all my doubts are non-existent and are just a figment of my twisted subconscious."

Hermione couldn't stand the chaste kisses anymore and brought her hands to his face, bringing their lips together. She opened her mouth to him, eager to taste him again. Eager to become a whole brain again. They needed each other's mouths to stay sane. It was just that simple.

All thought processes stopped when his tongue explored her mouth. Left-brain/right-brain ceased to exist when his arms ran slowly up her back, inching towards the curls in her hair. His curls.

He tangled his fingers in her locks, enjoying the surprisingly soft tresses. Her hands busied themselves with traveling up and down his muscled front, making stops at Pectoral Junction and Hard Abdominal Station.

They broke apart, but his lips didn't stop exploring the rest of her face. He placed a kiss on her chin, her cheeks, her nose, her closed eyelids, her forehead and then back to her lips.

He straightened up from his previous position of leaning against his desk and brought her closer to him, if that were even possible.

"I need you, Hermione."

"You have me," she said breathlessly, wrapping her arms around his waist, placing her head on his chest.

"No, I _need _you."

Hermione pulled back a bit to look into his eyes. The underlying emotion that she had seen before was not underlying at the moment. It was on full display for the whole world to see. It wasn't lust; more of a deep internal need to take her on any surface they could find and make her scream his name.

"Your room or mine?" she asked boldly, enjoying the look of stunned amusement that flashed through his face for a brief second.

He smiled a feral smile, showcasing his canines and growled, "Mine."

Draco wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her until she put her legs around his own waist. He brought his lips up to hers and kissed her, expertly moving them closer to his bedroom without breaking lip contact.

Hermione's heart started to beat faster, her mind was slowly starting to gain its original function of analyzing.

'This is it,' she thought to herself.

Her stomach did some clichéd gymnastic routine as she felt herself being lowered onto the bed. Draco's eyes seemed to see beyond the layer of her clothing.

'I know this is going to hurt, I just hope I can be good enough for him,' she thought as his lips traveled from her lips down to her neck, sucking at a place between her jaw and ear and making her moan.

'Ok, so foreplay is going very, very well…ooooohhh, very well,' she thought as his lips moved down to her collarbone.

He was lying next to her on the bed, doing delectable things to her neck and inching his hand slowly up her blouse, rubbing soft circles around her belly button.

Her hands were clutching the navy sheets that adorned his massive bed. His lips were doing things that made her pelvic region tingle with strange anticipation.

'Ok once again, foreplay...good; next comes nudity…oh Merlin…nudity. I might dissolve if I see his naked body. I wonder if he'll be disappointed with mine. I mean, my breasts are good, very feminine, my stomach isn't solid like his, I should have done some crunches…it's too soft.'

His fingers reached the edge of her bra and he swept his fingers over the covered mound. Hermione's breathing sped up, making her chest rise and fall at a fast rate. Her nipples hardened beneath the fabric and his fingers quickly became acquainted with the newly risen peaks.

His lips had somehow moved back to her face, lingering on her cheeks and her eyebrows and then back down to her jaw line. He seemed to have complete control of the situation and she was glad since this was obviously her first time in such situation.

'Again, I know this is going to hurt…but I think once he's broken past the hymen, then---"

Her thoughts stopped when she felt cold all of a sudden and realized Draco had stopped what he had been doing and was staring at her with a very knowing smirk.

"W-what?" she asked shakily, due to the previous high of arousal.

"I'm not going to continue until you stop analyzing the hell out of this," he said with a cheeky grin.

"I'm not analyzing," she lied.

"Oh please. I know you more than you think. I could practically recite what you were probably thinking. Now I need you to just do me a favor, ok?" he asked, bringing his thumb to caress her cheek.

She didn't answer him, a bit peeved that he called her out.

"Ok?" he asked again, kissing her cheek softly.

"Fine, what is it?"

"Use your right brain," he said simply, moving his kisses towards the corners of her lips.

"Ok, let me just flip the switch located at the top of my head that allows me to change between thought processes," she said with a hint of exasperation.

"I'm going to tell you how, you sassy girl," he said with a soft laugh that tickled her cheek. "Now what you have to do is stop and focus on your senses.

"As you know, you have five senses. I will demonstrate them for you in the proper right-brain way," he said and lifted his head up.

He looked down at her, sweeping his eyes all over her face, smiling at the prize he had on his bed. She watched his eyes take in her inquisitive features.

He brought his hands to the hem of her shirt and lifted it up over her head leaving her in a black bra. She watched his hands move around to her back and she lifted herself up to a sitting position to accommodate his wandering hands. He deftly unsnapped the hooks in the back and removed her undergarment without taking his eyes away from hers. He lay her back down and smiled.

Draco moved his vision down to her now bare chest and just watched the rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed. His hands were by his sides doing nothing fun.

Hermione could feel the tingly sensation again between her thighs. If she didn't know any better, Draco's voyeuristic behavior of visually caressing her was turning her on beyond belief.

"The sense of sight," he said, moving his eyes back to hers. "It is more powerful than people give it credit for."

Hermione nodded dumbly as his face came closer to hers. He stroked her hair away from her face and twisted a stray curl around his long finger.

He kissed her forehead, lingering for a second and stealing a scent of her hair.

"The sense of smell," he said. "Just the smell of vanilla in your hair is enough to get me hard enough to shag you senseless."

She laughed and felt her unrestrained breasts move with her laugh. His eyes shot back to her chest and he smiled.

He moved his eyesight back to lock with hers and moved his hand to her chest, pinching her nipples softly and making her back off arch the bed, which would probably happen more than once during their time together.

Draco's fingers softly, very softly, traced a pattern on her breast; giving her goose bumps and making her breath stop at a point. They moved down her stomach, still trailing very gently down to the edge of her jeans.

"The sense of touch…also very powerful. Probably the most important one in this sense," he whispered.

Her head was clouded with indistinguishable thought.

Her eyes moved to his lips that were frozen in a very seductive smile. He brought that smile to her cheek and kissed it for the umpteenth time, trailing the kiss down her neck, to her collarbone and stopping at her chest.

Hermione's hands shook as his lips kissed her hardened nipple and she gasped when his tongue stroked it with affection. He kept his tongue on alert, moving around the areola and then moving over to the other neglected breast and feasting on it as well.

He lifted his head and smiled at her flustered disposition.

"The sense of taste. That one is my favorite," he paused. "For the sense of hearing, I'm going to need you to help me," he said and lay down next to her on his back.

Hermione sat up, looking down at him. "What do I have to do?"

"You're a smart girl, figure it out," he said.

She looked at him for a while, watching his eyes glitter with amusement and deep arousal.

"I'll give you a hint," he said.

He lifted his shirt over his head and threw it to the floor, enjoying her eyes growing wide with excitement at seeing his naked torso.

Being Hermione Granger, it didn't take her long to figure out what he meant. The sense of hearing…she would have to make him moan.

She reached out a hand to his chest and ran a finger over the defined muscles. He watched her, encouraging her with his eyes.

Her finger moved lower, towards his abdomen and belly button. That perfect treasure trail of dark blond hairs leading from his navel to the top of his pants seemed to be a good place to start.

Hermione's finger ran through the hairs, watching his face for a reaction and hoping for him to make a noise.

His breathing increased as her nail scraped down closer to the waistband of his pants, but he didn't make a noise.

She decided that her finger wasn't enough. In a bold move, she moved to straddle him and earned a smile of approval but still no noise from his lips.

She moved her face closer to his, marveling in his beauty. Men shouldn't be described as beautiful, but Draco Malfoy was beautiful, achingly beautiful. His strong jaw line and aristocratic nose perfected his face in a very masculine bone structure.

She kissed his lips, and he kissed back, bringing his hand to the back of her head and pushing her closer to him. She could feel his apparent erection through his pants and she shifted closer to him, rubbing her heat against his arousal.

Jackpot! He moaned in such a low voice that it vibrated through her mouth.

The sound of his moan made the slight tingle between her legs turn into a profound itch that needed to be scratched…immediately.

"Isn't being right-brained so much more fun?" he asked in a husky voice.

Hermione ignored his hypothetical question and kissed his lips again.

She turned to move off of him and back to her original lying down position, but he stopped her by placing his hands firmly on her hips.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Well, uh, you know, it's my first time, man on top, woman on bottom."

Draco marveled at her innocence. "No, not this time."

"What? Why?"

"You need to practice your right-brain technique. You get to decide how you to go about this. It's going to hurt either way, I'm not going to lie, and it's better if you get to be in control of your own pain. So, woman on top."

"What if I do it wrong?" she asked, watching his eyes explore her exposed chest.

"Impossible. Now keep going or I'll explode," he said, bringing his hips up to rub against her.

She bit back a groan at feeling his hardness press against her core. She moved her fingers down to her jeans and unbuttoned them, slowly, and brought the zipper down, watching as his eyes followed her every movement like a hypnotized invalid.

She lifted herself off of him to take her jeans off and threw them to the floor to join the other clothes. She was in her black panties and he still had pants on. That would have to be rectified.

Hermione moved down his legs to take his pants off. His silver boxers were tented with his very patient erection. She looked up to find Draco watching her with anticipation. She hooked her fingers through the waistband of the boxers and slowly eased them down.

He gauged her reaction to his manhood, which he was arrogantly proud of. She seemed quite awestruck as it saluted her at full attention with a cap of pre-cum.

She tentatively reached out and touched the head, earning her a very loud moan from the owner of said head. Hermione wrapped her petite fingers around his member, quite worried about how it would ever fit inside of her. She could have easily wrapped both fists around it on top of each other and there still would have been extra length.

"As a Healer, I've seen my fair share of male genitalia…" she said, bringing her fist down in a pumping motion and earning yet another moan. "But yours is by far the most impressive."

"Inflate my ego another time…" he panted, "and do whatever you're doing some other time or I absolutely will not last. I need… …to be inside……of you. Now," he said with uninhibited gasps.

Hermione saw his eyes half-lidded in extreme pleasure and removed her hand from around him. She removed her own underwear and now they were both completely naked. There really was no looking back now. They were way too deep in their arousal and clear ecstasy to even consider backing out.

She moved up his body until their hips were aligned. She was sitting up, using her knees as the main support. It was now or never.

Draco grabbed her hands in his and brought them to his lips. He kissed each knuckle slowly, his lips searing with heat.

"Don't be scared. I want you to look at me and don't break eye contact, ok?" he said tenderly.

Hermione nodded and inhaled and exhaled slowly. He released her hands and let her take over.

She reached between them and held his erection, making him draw a quick breath. She lowered herself down until their genitals made contact.

She was so incredibly wet and hot down there that it took all of Draco's self control not to just thrust up and take her immediately.

It felt a bit awkward as she very slowly eased herself down. A sense of being stretched and filled was all she could feel. It hurt a bit, but only because his size wasn't meant for virgins.

They both felt the barrier that proclaimed her as an innocent. She let go of his throbbing member and placed her hands on his chest for leverage.

He gave her a reassuring smile and brought his head up to kiss her lips.

In one swift motion, she brought her hips down quickly and gasped at the ripping sensation. He really was too large for her and it had hurt like a bitch.

"Look at me, Hermione; don't close your eyes," he said in a strained voice. "Merlin, you're so fucking tight."

She kept her eyes focused on his as the pain seared through her pelvis. Her eyes became blurry with unshed tears. They had come from the sharp pain and hadn't fallen and she blinked them back, not wanting to cry.

Hermione saw Draco's jaw clench and his breathing become choppy.

"Am I hurting you?" she asked.

Draco shook his head and forced a smile onto his face. "No…it's just taking _a lot _of discipline for me not to move. You are exceedingly tight and I can empathize with you on the pain."

She let out a shaky laugh and realized the pain had actually ebbed into a different, numb sensation. It was slowly escalating into an actual pleasurable feeling.

Hermione raised herself slowly and moved back down, gaining a hiss from Draco.

He reached up and grabbed her hips, halting her motion.

"Now that the pain is gone, man on top," he said and skillfully switched their positions.

He pushed into her and she gave a low moan of satisfaction at being filled again. His movements were slow at first, but that lasted all of a few seconds and soon his thrusts became hurried and urgent.

Draco knew that some girls usually didn't come during their first times, but he was determined to make her come before him. It would do his ego no good if he came before her.

He snaked his hand down between them and flicked his thumb across her clit, earning a slight shriek from her.

"Ohh!" she yelled as he moved his thumb repeatedly over the concentrated center of pleasure nerves.

Hermione had never felt so lightheaded. The combined actions of his thumb and his thrusts were building a pressure in her lower abdomen and the pressure seemed to be escalating to certain apex that she desperately wanted to reach.

She reached her hands behind his neck, bringing him closer to kiss her. She needed to feel his lips on hers. That apex was getting closer.

She experimentally bent her leg a bit, bringing it up closer to her body and granting him deeper access. Many more thrusts later and Hermione couldn't help the loud sounds escaping her lips. She wrapped her bent leg around his waist.

Little did she know that that simple move would help her reach her apex.

"Oh Draco!" Hermione screamed as the most intense pleasure raced through the junction between her legs and up through her stomach.

The warm contracting walls around Draco's length spurred him into his own climax, sending his load deep within her. He managed to collapse against her without crushing her petite frame.

They lay there panting together; sweat clinging to their bodies and his manhood softening within her. He kissed her shoulder, which was just as warm as the rest of her body.

He couldn't stop the smile that threatened his post-coital relaxation. She was all his. She had given herself to him without a second thought and he loved her.

Draco murmured against her shoulder, "I love you."

He heard a sniffle in response and lifted his head up to see a tear escape her eye.

"Hey, hey…don't cry, love. What's wrong?" he asked, lifting himself off and out of her. He settled on his side next to her and wiped her tears away. She bit back a sob and he couldn't understand why she was crying.

"Hermione, my heart, why are you crying?" he asked again. His voice was laced with worry and genuine caring.

"I'm j-just s-so happy," she said with a crying smile.

"Oh," he said with relief. "Well I'm glad you're happy, but I don't want you to cry. It kills me when you cry."

"Sorry, I'm just, I don't know, so overwhelmed, I guess, with the sudden feeling of extreme pleasure and satiation and with how strongly I'm in love with you."

Draco smiled and leaned over to kiss her lips, softly. He draped an arm over her stomach and brought her closer to him.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and rested her head in the crook of his neck. She felt safe there, in his strong arms, away from the harsh realities of the outside world. She felt as though nothing could ever hurt her as she lay in those arms. Nothing could ever penetrate the barrier of his arms and chest. He was her armor.

It was nearing 5 in the afternoon and they would have to go down to dinner soon. They knew they couldn't leave Narcissa to worry and come to check on Draco.

They could have easily fallen asleep and not woken up until the next day, but they opted for a small nap, their breathing coming in and out at the same tempo.

It was officially the best nap they ever had.


	13. Last Chance to Lose Control

Disclaimer: Still no ownership

A/N: The chapter title comes from the song "Hysteria" by Muse

* * *

**Chapter 13: Last Chance to Lose Control**

The table was set. The food was out. Narcissa sat waiting.

"Snot, dear, could you see what is taking my son so long to come down to dinner?"

In a completely unlikely move, the house-elf giggled and stayed where he was.

"Oh but Mistress Narcissa, Cammy told Snot not to interrupt Master Draco this afternoon."

Cammy was the house-elf that catered to Draco's wing.

"And why would Cammy say that?" Narcissa asked curiously.

"Master is busy," said Snot with another squeaky giggle.

"If he is working on his financial business, then I give you permission to go interrupt and tell him that dinner is ready,"said Narcissa .

Yet another giggle came from the house-elf. "Snot cannot go against Cammy's orders. Cammy said we would be in trouble from Master if we were to interrupt. Snot couldn't be sorrier for going against Mistress' wishes right now."

Narcissa's pale brows furrowed. "And how long am I supposed to wait? Dinner is going to get cold."

"Cammy said that Mistress should eat without Master if he doesn't come to dinner," Snot explained.

Narcissa scoffed at this. "I will do no such thing, now what is that boy up to? Snot, do you know?"

Snot's eyes widened. "Yes, Mistress, Snot knows."

"Well, why aren't you telling me?" Narcissa asked impatiently.

"Cammy told me not to tell,"said Snot quietly.

"And whom do you answer to, Cammy or your mistress?" Narcissa asked calmly.

"My mistress," said Snot .

"Now either you go fetch my son or you tell me what he is up to…your choice," said Narcissa , growing tired of this back-and-forth.

Snot squeaked and fiddled with his fingers. "Master is occupied with the pretty Healer."

"You mean Hermione?" Narcissa asked, a smile slowly gracing her elegant features.

"Yes. Cammy said we mustn't interrupt them,"said Snot .

Narcissa suppressed a chuckle. "Alright then Snot, you're free to go. Would you please tell the kitchen elves that I'll take dinner in my wing?"

"Yes, Mistress, right away," Snot said and hurried off.

* * *

The soreness between Hermione's legs was what woke her. She groggily opened her eyes to the dimly lit room. Since she had just awoken from a nap, she was still in the stage where she did not know her precise location at that moment in time.

She turned to her right and saw Draco sleeping next to her, his hands underneath his pillow and his legs wrapped in the sheets. He looked calmly angelic: breathing deep and hair falling messily into his face.

She looked to the window to see the orange-ish glow that came from a late sunset. Her eyes drifted towards the grandfather clock standing in the corner of the room. It read half past eight.

"Oh no," she whispered, knowing that dinner was clearly over and that they had overslept.

Draco opened an eye wearily and caught the sight of Hermione biting her lip in worry.

He opened both eyes and sat up, letting the navy sheets pool at his waist. "What's wrong?"

"We missed dinner and your mother is probably worried," she said, trying not to stare directly at his now uncovered chest. The results of which would delay them even more.

"I'm sure she isn't worried," Draco said, but his haste in getting out of the bed and pulling on his boxers proved that he held concern in his mother's worry.

Hermione struggled out of the sheets that were wrapped around her and located her clothes that were strewn haphazardly on the floor. She pulled on her own underwear and finished zipping up her jeans when strong arms grabbed her and tilted her head up.

Draco slanted his mouth over hers in a hurried kiss. "I love you," he whispered.

Hermione tried not to melt into the carpet and managed to nod her head dazedly. Every time he said it, it still sounded surreal. Before she could remember the response to that sentiment, Draco was already halfway to the door.

She followed him out of the room, knowing that they would have to find Narcissa and make sure she wasn't worried about his whereabouts.

"Draco, wouldn't she have come up to your wing if she was worried?" Hermione tried to rationalize.

"She usually sends a house-elf, but since I've locked my doors, they know not to interrupt," he said, walking down the stairs towards the dining room.

They found it empty and the table cleared. Draco immediately located a house-elf.

"Sampson, do you know where your mistress is?" Draco asked.

"Mistress has retired to her wing of the house. Mistress told the house-elves to alert you of her location when you came out from your wing. Mistress would like to see you, sir," said Sampson readily.

Draco nodded and led Hermione back upstairs to the third floor. After knocking and being granted entrance, they walked into the wing and found Narcissa sitting on her couch reading a book.

"Hermione, darling! When did you get back from your weekend off?" she asked, a flawless Malfoy smirk being hidden by a sweet smile.

"Oh, um…" Hermione started, "a few hours ago."

Narcissa nodded and returned to her book, still smiling.

"I'm sorry I missed dinner, mother," Draco apologized. "I got caught up in something."

"Like Hermione's pants?" Narcissa asked, continuing her perusal of the book in her hand.

"Mother!" Draco exclaimed.

"Oh dear, don't be such a brat," Narcissa said, the smirk that had been hidden before entering center stage on her mouth. "I'm not as clueless and naïve as you might think."

Draco stared at his mother in incredulity. Hermione's cheeks had taken on a red glow.

"Stop looking at me like that, love. I'm very happy that you and Hermione have finally gotten over your previous troubles and have thrown caution to the wind by satisfying each other's sexual---"

"Mother, stop. By Zeus, I don't think you could mortify me anymore," Draco said, falling onto a chair and rubbing his face.

Narcissa snorted ungracefully and flipped the page in her book, the smirk/smile never leaving her face.

She looked up at them after a few seconds. "Well don't just stand around here with me all night, go have dinner and then rekindle you passionat---"

"Mother, really…no, seriously not another word," Draco said, standing up and crossing his arms. "We weren't doing anything for your information."

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Your tousled hair and Hermione's mismatched buttons on her blouse tell a different story."

"Ok, well I'll see you in the morning, mum," Draco said quickly, grabbing Hermione's hand and walking out the wing as fast as possible.

The minute the door was closed behind him and after they heard Narcissa's smooth laugh, they looked at each other with a hint of embarrassment sketched into their features.

"Sorry about that," he said wrapping his arms around Hermione's waist and bringing her closer to him.

"No need to apologize. Although I do think that we should heed your mother's advice," Hermione said boldly.

Draco pulled back a bit, but kept his arms around her. "What advice?"

"That we should go eat dinner and then rekindle our passionate whatever she was about to say before you cut her off," she said with a cheeky grin.

Draco laughed and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I didn't know you were so brazen."

Hermione didn't reply but brought her lips up to his and kissed him. She couldn't get enough of his taste, his essence, his being.

She managed to pull away before she the chance to be swept up in hazy passion.

Draco blinked back a lustful gaze as he took in the Healer standing in his arms.

"We should get dinner," he said in a low voice. "And then we'll have dessert…back in my room."

Hermione smiled and pecked his lips one last time before setting off for the dining room.

* * *

Midnight struck and Hermione lay in Draco's bed after several more hours of 'rekindling their passionate whatever Narcissa had been about to say.'

Her head lay on his warm chest, listening to the cadence of his heartbeat. He made her feel protected; he made her feel loved…he made her feel beautiful.

"Draco?" she whispered. There really was no need to whisper, but the mood called for it.

"Hmm?" he responded, rubbing her back in smooth circles.

"When, um, when was your first time?" she asked slowly.

"My first time? You mean, when did I lose my virginity?" he asked a slight tremor running through his fingers that rubbed her back.

"Yes," she replied, wrapping her arm around his waist to bring him even closer to her person.

"I, uh, don't remember," he said distantly, his hand becoming still against her back.

Hermione's eyebrows met in disbelief. "How can you not remember?"

"I just don't,' he said. "Can we please drop the subject?"

Hermione sat up, ignoring the sheet falling towards her waist, leaving her bare-chested. "No, we can't just drop the subject. You keep hiding behind your insecurities and your thoughts, and I just won't deal with it. I told you that I won't judge you for anything you have done in your past so just buck up and tell me."

Draco eyed her carefully, watching her cheeks flush in determination and her eyes blaze with frustration. She was right, of course; he had left her in the dark far too many times. But he still didn't feel comfortable telling her things that he would rather forget.

"Hermione, listen, I…I know you wouldn't judge me and---"

"No, you have major trust issues that you need to get over. I need to know what troubles you so that I can help you. Not only as someone who loves you, but as someone who understands what it's like---"

"No! You don't understand what it's like. You really, really don't and don't start to think that you do because nobody can even fathom what I've gone through," he said, sitting up to face her.

Hermione breathed heavily, blinking back unnecessary tears. "But I can help you," she started.

"Maybe I don't want help!" he snapped. "I already told you that I hired you for my mother and not for me. I know I'm losing my mind---"

"Just shut up about that! You're not losing your mind nor are you even close! You're just a spoiled brat who has seen tough times and now you seem to think that no one understands and that no one can help. But I can! And I will! So either you start talking or I'll go back to my wing and we can pretend all this never happened."

"So do you always lie or is it just to get into bed with me?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.

Hermione's jaw dropped. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You said you wouldn't try to psychoanalyze me and wouldn't ask me questions unless it would help with my mother's condition, but now this has nothing to do with her."

"It's different now, Draco," Hermione said quietly. "I…we're in love and I only want you to be happy and I want to know that you trust me, because I trust you. I really do. I don't keep things from you."

Draco lay back down ran his hand through his hair. "I can't keep doing this, Hermione."

"It's only happening because you don't trust me," she said, taking a chance and laying back down next to him and tentatively placing her head back on his chest.

He wrapped an arm around her and brought her closer to him, sighing as he did so.

"I do trust you…I just, I really don't like reliving those thoughts," he admitted quietly.

"Draco, you can't repress them. It's horribly unhealthy and if you keep it up, you will regret it because you'll end up on the same road as your mother. Please Draco, I love you and I don't want to see your past dictate the rest of your life," she said, placing a comforting hand on his stomach.

Draco turned his head to look at her as she looked up at him. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly.

"So you want to know when I lost my virginity?" he asked.

"Yes, and basically what your first time was like."

"Shameful, mortifying, and basically one of the worst experiences of my life," he said stonily.

"Oh you're exaggerating," Hermione said lightly. "It couldn't have been that bad."

"You haven't even heard what happened yet," he said running his fingers through her curls. The curls she brought back just for him.

"Then tell me…was it Pansy?"

"No, as much as she might have spread that around, we never did anything."

"Well, go on, just start from the beginning."

Draco sighed again. "I was fifteen and had just gone to my first Death Eater initiation type deal. Like an orientation of some sort. I was seriously terrified out of my mind. I spewed all this Dark Magic propaganda during school but until I was forced into it, I really had no idea what to expect."

Hermione hugged him closer and urged him to continue.

"There were I think about ten recruits, nine boys and one girl. Being the lucky son of Lucius Malfoy, I was chosen to be the one to 'initiate' the one girl."

Hermione's heart slowed down, a feeling of dread overcoming her senses. "But didn't Voldemort know that you weren't experienced at all?"

"Oh yeah, he would have chosen that moment to be sensitive and let me off the hook," Draco said with clear sarcasm dripping off his words. "I'm pretty sure he knew and it just made him gleeful that it would be an entirely embarrassing ordeal for me."

"What was her name?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Camille," he said. "She actually was very pretty, pure-blood of course, terrified just as much as I was. Her father was a prominent figure in their ranks and she had been forced to join as well because she had a really strong aptitude for charms and divination."

Hermione nodded her head.

"But she wasn't as pretty as you," he added as an afterthought.

Hermione smiled against his chest and kissed the bare skin. "Keep going."

Draco cleared his throat. "So under Voldemort's orders, he stuck us in a room together and told me I had an hour to initiate her. For the first fifteen minutes I watched her cry and was extremely tempted to join her."

Hermione's chest constricted in pity.

"Did I mention that we were in an observation room? As a treat to all his favorite Death Eaters, they got to watch Camille and obviously, my initiation, humiliation. After the fifteen minutes of sobbing, I finally walked over to her and told her that we had to get it over with…

"She nodded and said she'd never even kissed a guy before so I had no idea what to do about that. I was a fucking nervous wreck and I don't even know how I ever got it up to actually do the deed."

"H-how did you ever manage?" Hermione asked shakily, quickly approaching a teary-eyed resolution.

"I sort of just tuned everything out. Pretended that we weren't being watched. I just sort of approached her and tried to comfort her. Well, first I kissed her because I wasn't going to have her lose her virginity without at least being kissed first…and then it just sort of escalated from that kiss. I kept whispering to her, telling her reassuring things so that she would stop crying and so we wouldn't get into trouble."

"What did you whisper to her?" Hermione asked, feeling an immense amount of pride over how sensitive Draco actually was.

"I told her to ignore everything around her and to just focus on me. I also kept telling her how beautiful she was so that she would gain more confidence and not be as frightened. And she was still so scared, but she just nodded her head and tried as hard as she could to get into it. I actually did find her so beautiful and so brave for it, because it must have been so much worse for her, being a girl of only fifteen and having to go through that…

"So we finally got around to the actual act and we were both trembling with a mixture of fear and nervousness and insecurity. It lasted all of about 4 minutes, that's how nervous we were, and being our first time it wasn't pleasant for either of us."

"Whatever happened to Camille?" Hermione asked, a bit afraid of the answer.

Draco stiffened next to her, his breathing erratic.

"He killed her, didn't he?" Hermione asked, tears welling up and finding no resistance.

"Yes," Draco said simply.

"Why?" Hermione asked with a sniff, her tears sliding down her cheeks and onto his chest.

"He said he didn't appreciate her crying at the beginning of his orders and that she had portrayed weakness when she should have been proud to be ordered to do something by him. I watched him do it and then I was left with her body to clean up."

"Merlin, you were only fifteen. You shouldn't have gone through that," Hermione said in between tears.

"Don't cry, Hermione, please. It really bothers me, especially when I cause it," Draco said, bringing his hand down to wipe her tears away.

"I'm sorry, Draco, I'm sorry you had to go through that," she said trying to return her breathing back to normal.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. It was my fate and I've accepted it. I could have made better choices as a child. I could have gone to Dumbledore for help, but I was too proud and I've learned my lesson from arrogant pride."

Hermione hugged him tighter, kissing his chest and looking up at him. "I love you so much, you don't even know."

Draco smiled softly. "I might know a bit."

Hermione laughed quietly.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"For what?"

"For loving me…and for getting me to talk, I really needed that," he said in barely a whisper.

Hermione responded by leaning up and kissing his lips, slowly studying them with her own before asking for entrance with her tongue. Moments passed as they explored their mouths, seeking comfort in each other's embrace; seeking solace in each other's arms.

They pulled apart, each sporting swollen lips and uneven breathing.

"I'm beyond tired," Hermione admitted, sinking back down next to him, nuzzling his neck and taking in his earthy cologne.

Draco yawned in response. "I'm pretty sure you kissed me so hard that you read my mind."

Hermione laughed and snuggled into his arms, tangling her legs with his.

"Goodnight, lefty," he said, picking up his wand and shrouding the room in darkness.

"Lefty?" Hermione asked.

"It's my new nickname for you," he said to the dark.

"Short for left-brain?"

"Yep," he replied.

"I'm not going to lose maturity points by stooping down to your level and giving you some juvenile nickname, so goodnight, Draco," Hermione said to which she received a playful pinch on her bum.

"Night, lefty," he said insistently before slumber took them into its realm.

* * *

**A week later...**

Charlie Weasley had never before seen the Malfoy manor. He had never seen anything so grand in his entire life, even though he lived across the street from the Romanian Prime Minister.

It was a bright Saturday morning and it had been a week since he had seen Narcissa at the wedding.

He slowly walked up to the door and knocked three times. He could feel the strong magic warding the house and the energy emanating from the protection charms.

He would have never come on his own accord, but Narcissa's letter had invited him to the house, and she was just too beautiful a woman to say no to.

A perky house-elf wearing a pink dress answered the door. Charlie found it odd that a house-elf would be wearing clothes, but shrugged it off.

"Are you Mistress' guest?" the house-elf squeaked.

"Yes," Charlie replied.

"Come in, sir. She has been expecting you."

Charlie followed the house-elf into the massive foyer. He suppressed a jaw-drop as took in his surroundings.

Before the house-elf could disappear from his sight, he followed her up the stairs and through the elegant halls of the manor. Expensive portraits and paintings looked down at him as he passed. He was surprised the house hadn't imploded upon receiving a Weasley.

They climbed two more sets of stairs and reached the third floor.

A door to his right opened and Hermione walked out.

"Charlie!" she gasped and closed the door immediately behind her.

"HERMIONE!" A voice yelled from inside the room. "Why did you close the door in my face? Let go of the doorknob!"

Hermione's eyes betrayed her panic. "Quick," she whispered to Charlie, "Go through those double doors right now." She pointed to the doors that led to Narcissa's wing.

Charlie eyed her curiously and did as was told, since she was looking at him with desperation as she slowly began losing the grip on the door.

Hermione watched him disappear from the hall and the minute he was out of sight, she let go of the doorknob.

Draco stood on the other side, catching himself before falling over. "What the hell was that about?" he asked.

"What was what about?" she asked, looking innocent.

"You shut me into your wing," he said, with an eyebrow quirked.

"No I didn't. I think the door got stuck. You know how old this manor is…it was bound to happen eventually," Hermione said with ease.

Draco looked back down to the doorknob and shrugged. "Come on, I'm hungry," he said and took her hand to go down to the dining room.

Hermione let out a breath and followed him. That was one crisis she had gratefully avoided. Or so she thought…

* * *

"Charlie, how lovely to see you," Narcissa greeted the handsome man standing in her living room.

She extended her hand to him which he deftly brought up to his lips. "You look gorgeous as ever, Narcissa," he said.

Narcissa smiled and gestured to the couch in her living room. "Please do sit, Charlie. I thank you for coming."

"Trust me, it's my utmost pleasure. Although Hermione didn't seem too keen to see me."

"You ran into her?"

"Yeah, she seemed to want to get rid of me pretty quickly," he mentioned.

A house-elf dressed in purple overalls offered a tray of drinks to Charlie, who took one with a nod of thanks.

"Oh…" Narcissa mused. "Well, um, Charlie I know you're in the Order and that you know of my son."

"Yeah, I know he lives here," he replied.

"Yes, well…I haven't really told him about you."

"What's to tell? It's not like we've done anything...yet," he added.

Narcissa blushed at his playful smirk.

"Are you afraid he wouldn't approve?" Charlie asked.

"Well, yes. He's dealt with a lot in his young life and he feels a certain responsibility over me…a certain need to protect me," she said softly.

"I would never do anything to hurt you, Narcissa," said Charlie, putting his drink down.

Narcissa smiled. "I know that, but I'm not sure Draco will be so understanding. I've actually asked Hermione to talk to him for me. She could perhaps set the stage for what I'm sure will be a greatly energized discussion."

"Why would Hermione have any influence over him?" Charlie asked.

"Because she's his love," said Narcissa casually.

"His love?" Charlie asked with a disbelieving smile.

"Yes; lovers, a couple, girlfriend/boyfriend, whatever you wish to call it," said Narcissa.

"Holy hell. Do Harry and Ron know?" he asked.

"No, I don't believe so. Today is her day off and I think she's going to her friend Isabelle's house later tonight."

Charlie shook his head with wonder. "Knowing my brother, he's not going to enjoy this news."

"Isn't he on his honeymoon?" Narcissa asked.

"Yes, but I'm sure Harry will inform him upon first notice."

* * *

"Draco, I think you should sit down," Hermione said calmly, leading Draco to one of the couches in the drawing room.

Draco sat down and pulled her to sit in his lap, kissing her cheek before she could protest.

"Ok, I don't even know how to begin this," she said, running a hand over her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, taking in her distressed features.

"Nothing really, it's just, there's something you need to know."

Draco's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why are you so nervous? Just tell me."

"Well, um, now, you can't overreact, Draco, and please try and keep your emotions in check."

Draco nodded slowly and gestured for her to go on.

Hermione took a deep breath before quickly saying, "Charlie Weasley and your mother met at Ron's wedding and they really hit it off."

Draco looked at her with an eyebrow quirked, his trademark confused stared.

"And I think that they are somewhat of an item now and he's here at the manor right now in her wing."

* * *

Narcissa and Charlie stood side-by-side at the large window overlooking the garden from her living room.

"That over there is the Malfoy Hedge Maze, it's been here since the manor was built," Narcissa pointed out.

"Good God, that thing looks complicated from up here," Charlie said, his eyes following the many turns and swirls of the maze.

"Only three Malfoys have ever found the middle and I'm proud to say Draco is one of them."

"Smart boy," Charlie commented. "Gets it from his mother, I'm sure."

"Oh stop, no need for flattery," Narcissa said with a laugh.

Charlie turned to look at her. She was prettier than any woman he had ever met or seen. She made models look hideous and nothing showed her true age of forty. Narcissa looked younger than him at his ripe age of 28.

Narcissa looked back at him. He stood a few inches taller than her and she could smell his musky cologne, he was standing so close.

In a risky move, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers softly.

BANG!

The door to the living slammed open causing Narcissa and Charlie to jump apart, her cheeks expressing a rouge splay.

Draco stood in the doorway glaring at the two of them standing by the window.

Hermione stood behind him putting a hand on his arm to try and calm him down. But her action was futile.

Draco was angry and if looks could kill, Charlie would have been singing show tunes with Hades in the underworld.

"Uh oh," Narcissa breathed.

She couldn't have expressed a truer statement.


	14. Crossed Lines I Shouldn't Have Crossed

Disclaimer: No ownership

A/N: The title chapter comes from the song, "In My Place" by Coldplay

* * *

**Chapter 14: Crossed Lines I Shouldn't Have Crossed**

Anger is a funny thing. Wait, no it isn't. It's a scary thing. A very scary thing. Especially when it came from Draco Malfoy. And at that moment, funny was the farthest thought from anyone's mind as Draco glared… no, murderously aimed his eyesight at the red-haired man standing in his mother's sitting room. The Dark Lord himself would have gulped nervously at the look Draco was giving.

"Draco," Hermione said softly.

Draco turned his stare to the witch. "Not now, Hermione," he said through clenched teeth.

"You have to calm down. Don't you dare take your anger out on them. I'm warning you," she said, a fire blazing through her brown eyes.

"Oh trust me, you'll get your share of anger from me," he spat.

He ignored her narrowed gaze and faced the original recipients of his anger.

Narcissa's rosy cheeks stood out most on her face. Her bright cerulean eyes shone with a hint of apprehension and she held her son's stare, meeting him blink for blink.

Now Charlie dealt with vicious, fire-breathing, man-killing dragons. He could take on a little craven Slytherin who hadn't gotten his way.

"Look here, Malfoy," Charlie started, drawing himself to full height, which was the exact same as Draco's. Meaning, there would be no intimidation on the physical level. "Whatever little tantrum you're about to have, it can wait because I sure as hell wouldn't want to be you if you upset Narcissa."

Silver irises turned near black as Draco took in the man in front of him. Hermione held her breath and thought quickly.

"Draco, please don't get upset. I beg of you," Hermione said, biting her lip.

"Who do you think you are coming here?" Draco asked in a growl.

Charlie lifted an eyebrow. "I think I'm a person who was invited."

Draco glared in his mother's direction. "You invited him?"

Narcissa nodded her head slowly, wide eyed.

"Am I the only one here who sees how stupid this is?" Draco yelled in frustration.

"It's not stupid. Charlie's a very nice man," Narcissa said shakily.

"He's only eight years older than me!" Draco screamed. "Do you not remember your condition, mum?"

"No, I must have forgotten that I'm completely loony," Narcissa spat back. "Thanks for the reminder."

Hermione gasped. "Draco, shut your mouth right now! How could you say that to her?"

"Stay out of this Hermione, no, you know what? How the hell could you have allowed this to happen? And why didn't you tell me?" Draco turned to look at her.

"Your mother is a grown woman and she doesn't need your permission to do anything," Hermione replied, her arms crossed over her chest.

"She is under my care and I have a say in what happens to her."

"No, you're wrong. She's under _my_ care and I allowed for this to happen. It could be beneficial to her progress, but your little temper tantrum might not be, so I suggest you just shut up and leave. Come back when you've calmed down. I will NOT have you upset her and have her go into a fit," Hermione said fiercely.

"I can't believe you," Draco said, with his head shaking. "Fine," he turned to his mother, "do whatever the fuck you want and see if I care. Have your fun with Weasley but consider us no longer speaking."

With that, Draco turned around and slammed the door on his way out.

Hermione sighed with frustration and irritation. "Narcissa, ignore him. He's just a spoiled brat who hasn't gotten his way."

Narcissa sank down onto the couch. "He was so angry," she said to nobody in particular.

Charlie sat down next to her. "Do you want me to leave?"

Narcissa looked up and had tears shining in her eyes. "Lucius will get upset if you don't leave, so I think it's best."

Hermione's heart sank. Charlie looked up at her with a puzzled look.

"Narcissa? Who was just in here yelling?" Hermione asked.

"L-lucius," Narcissa said with a sniff.

Anger rose up in Hermione's throat and it tasted bitter. "No, Narcissa; that was Draco."

Narcissa shook her head violently. "Draco would n-never yell at me. Lucius doesn't want me to see Charlie. He didn't say so, but he implied it. I'm sorry, Charlie."

Narcissa stood up and left her living room through the doors to her bedroom.

Hermione took her place next to Charlie. "I'm going to kill him."

Charlie glanced at the Healer. "Who?"

"Draco. I'm going to kill him. I knew if he got upset she would regress. I just knew it," Hermione said, her voice shaking in anger.

"So she thought that her son was Lucius?" Charlie asked.

"Like she said, Draco would never yell at her, so when he did, she repressed the action and associated it with something familiar. I have to go give her some potions and such, so I'm sorry about everything Charlie."

"Sorry about what?" Charlie asked.

"About everything that has happened. You probably are never going to want to see her again."

"Who says? Draco? I'm not afraid of him. Trust me. I've dealt with un-hatched dragon eggs scarier than him. She'll be alright though won't she?"

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, it's just a regressive fit. She'll just take an antidepressant potion and a neuroleptic one and then she'll be back to normal."

"Tell her to owl me when she's feeling better," Charlie said, standing up.

"You are one resilient bloke," Hermione said with a smile.

"She's a great woman," he said simply. "I'll see you around, Hermione."

Hermione watched him leave. She now had two things to accomplish: attend to Narcissa and then murder Narcissa's son.

Draco wasn't surprised to hear the door slam against the wall as he sat in his chair at his desk. He counted to three and hid a smirk when Hermione angrily walked into his office, looking like a bull about to charge. He could almost see some red in her eyes.

"You are a pathetic excuse for a human being," she said in a low and scary voice.

Draco raised an eyebrow and stared right back at her. His calm demeanor, which he had inherited from his father, could infuriate a person who was trying to scold him. "Is that right?"

"I hope you're pleased that your mother had a fit because of you. Nothing serious, but it still was one and it wouldn't have happened if you weren't so damn narrow-minded," Hermione said, her voice dripping with pure antagonism.

Draco felt a pain in his chest knowing he had caused his mother to have a fit. He stayed silent.

Hermione continued. "Why the hell is it any of your business what she does and does not do? She is a grown woman who can make her own damn choices. You're just angry that she has found someone who could possibly make her happy. Charlie is filling a role that you think belongs to you. Well, guess what? You can't be the only male in her life, no matter what her condition is," Hermione said.

Her resolve weakened when she saw Draco's eyes narrow in her direction.

"Thanks for the diagnosis, Healer Granger," he said maliciously. "But I don't remember asking your opinion."

"It's not opinion, Draco. It's fact. You feel intimidated that another male is going to be in your mother's life and that he is probably going to make her happy. I'm not saying that _you_ don't make her happy, but there are some things a son can't do for a mother. She needs to feel affection from outside her maternal being. You're being incredibly selfish in preventing that," Hermione said, her tone becoming softer when she saw the look of hurt pass through Draco's eyes.

She watched him as he steepled his hands beneath his chin and rested his elbows on his the desk. He seemed to be thinking about what she was saying. Or at least, she hoped he was.

"I don't want anyone to hurt her like my father did," he said quietly, not looking at her.

Hermione came around to his chair and cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. "She's not going to get hurt. But you do realize that you hurt her more than Charlie or any other man could hurt her. You're the only joy in her life and she told me in one of the questioning sessions that you were the only reason she has left to live."

Draco sighed and put his arms around Hermione's waist, dragging her down to sit in his lap.

"I've messed up, haven't I?"

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck as he laid his head against her chest. "Yes, but you've seen the error of your ways and you now know what you have to do."

"Did you have to medicate her?" he asked softly.

Hermione nodded. "She'll be awake soon and you can talk to her then."

"I don't have to apologize to the Weasel, do I?" Draco asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well first off, I'm not sure it's a wise thing to call him that, especially in front of Narcissa. Second of all, whatever you do is your decision. No one is making you do anything."

"Why do you put up with me? Didn't I tell you I'm one step away from losing my mind completely?"

Hermione pulled back to look him in the face. She stroked his cheek with her thumb. "If I have to tell you one more time that you are as sane as I am, I swear I'll go crazy myself," she said with a soft smile. "I put up with you because the sex is great."

Draco laughed and lifted his head to kiss her.

"We need to work on controlling your temper," Hermione said, resting against him.

"There is nothing wrong with my temper," Draco said coolly.

"Oh yes there is. For Merlin's sake, I actually thought you were going to kill someone when you found out. I know she's your mother and I know Charlie is a Weasley and someone who's twelve years younger than her…but there are worse things," Hermione explained.

Draco stayed quiet and rested his head against her shoulder.

"I know you love your mother and I know you only want her to be safe and happy, but sometimes you just have to remember that she _knows_ what will make her safe and happy. She raised you to be a very conscientious man and one who puts his loved ones first. You act on your emotions and that's something that will never change," she sighed. "I love you, Draco, I really do. I hope you know that."

Draco smiled. "Yeah, I know."

She turned in his arms to face him. "I'm going to tell Harry and Ron about us today, since it's technically my day off."

Draco winced. "For once, I'm glad I cannot leave the manor. Those two would have hissy-fits and that's something I don't feel like dealing with."

"Thanks for the support," Hermione said dryly.

"I'm a Slytherin, what can I say?" he said with a smirk. "We're not big on the stay around and get your ass beaten. It's not our style."

Hermione laughed. "Oh? And what is your style?"

"Hmm… doggie?" he said mischievously.

Hermione's mouth gaped in feigned shock. "You're such a pervert."

Draco laughed. "Ouch, harsh words, babe."

"It's nothing you don't deserve after what you put your mother through."

Draco sighed. "Yeah, I know."

Hermione kissed his cheek. "I'm going to go face the music and by the time I get back, you better have spoken to her and groveled on your knees for her to forgive you."

"Good luck," he said, kissing her lips one last time.

"You too," she said and left him to wallow in guilt and other negative emotions he didn't feel like sorting out.

* * *

Hermione arrived at the Burrow, holding on to Isabelle's arm for dear life and sustenance.

"Jeez, Herms, just chillax," Isabelle reassured her. "Everything is going to be fine. I told you that I'm here for you and that I support you 200 percent. Those boys' barks are worse than their bites."

"I know… but, oh goodness. They are going to absolutely freak," Hermione said, biting her lip.

"Where's that Gryffindor courage Harry's always talking about?" Isabelle said with a smile. "Although if _he_ had that courage, he'd try some of the things I suggest in bed."

"Ok, Isabelle…too much information. Officially, too much. I'd rather tell them now than sit out here listening to you talk about things I never, ever want to listen to."

Isabelle smiled. "Alright then, let's do this."

Isabelle knocked on the door and they were greeted by Molly Weasley.

"Oh, Hermione! It's been so long since we've seen you, dear," she exclaimed, grabbing Hermione in a choking hug.

"But you saw me at Ron's wedding, which was only a week ago," Hermione said.

"Yes, well the house has been so empty. Ron and Ellie just got back from Fiji this morning and they just made it to the Burrow," Mrs. Weasley explained.

"Is Harry here yet?" Hermione asked as they were ushered into the living room.

"They're all in the living room catching up, dear. I hate to greet and run, but I'm meeting Bill and Fleur to help them decorate the nursery. Can you believe she's already eight months pregnant? I'm all a dither," she said with a heartwarming grin.

"Ok, Mrs. Weasley, tell them we said hello," Hermione said receiving a goodbye hug from the nurturing woman.

Isabelle led Hermione into the living room where Ron, Ellie, Harry, Fred and George sat talking. She groaned inwardly at having such a large audience, but figured that when she told Harry and Ron that everyone was bound to find out.

"Hermione! Cor, we missed you!" Ron said, embracing her in a brotherly hug.

"I've missed you too," she said, greeting Ellie and Harry respectively.

"So how's the haunted house?" George asked.

Hermione took a seat between Isabelle and Fred, opposite of Harry, Ron and Ellie. George had a seat on the floor.

"I assume you're speaking of the manor?" Hermione asked.

"The one and only. I'm surprised you're still in one piece and haven't killed yourself from having to deal with Malfoy," Fred added.

Oh she had _dealt _with Malfoy. In many ways. And in many states of undress. Pushing those arousing thoughts from her mind, she pasted a smile on her face.

"Draco is not what he was in school. Not at all," she explained.

"Draco? On a first-name basis are we?" Fred asked.

"We're all adults here and Draco, as surprising as it may seem to you, has in fact grown up and has dealt with a lot of things that many of you probably will never have the misfortune to experience," Hermione said. "I respect him a lot."

"Is respect another word for fancy?" Ellie said with a sly smile.

Hermione laughed uncomfortably. "How was the honeymoon?" she asked, switching subjects almost immediately. She could hear Isabelle covering a laugh with a fake cough.

Ron and Ellie looked at each other in a way that oozed 'newlyweds.' Hermione felt a pang of jealousy but shook it off instantly.

"It was beautiful. Fiji is the most exquisite place," Ellie said, a faint blush decorating her cheeks.

"I'm sure the only place you two actually managed to see was the bedroom of the honeymoon suite," Fred said laughing and receiving a throw pillow to the gut.

"Wait, I have a question…is it true that Charlie really hit it off with female Malfoy at Ronnie-kin's wedding?" George asked. Ron grimaced at the nickname.

Isabelle smiled. "He sure did. They make _the _cutest couple, well besides Herms and Draco."

"Belle!" Hermione gasped.

All eyes turned towards Hermione.

Isabelle shrugged. "What? You were going to avoid the subject until someone asked you straight out and I just don't have the time for that."

Hermione sent Isabelle a searing glare and turned to Harry and Ron who sat looking at her in a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Is it true?" Harry asked. "Are you and Malfoy a couple?"

"A couple?" Ron blurted out. "A couple of idiots if it's true."

"Oh hush, Ron," Ellie scolded. "So what if they're a couple?"

"Answer the question, Hermione. Are you and Malfoy a couple?"

Hermione sighed and looked at her two best male friends. "Yes."

Hermione heard Fred chuckling next to her. "This should be good."

She ignored him and kept her stare with her friends.

Ron shook his head in a daze. "Have you completely gone barmy?"

Harry had a disbelieving smile on his face. "She's joking. There is no way Hermione would ever have feelings for Malfoy. He's a ferret."

Hermione was sure her lower lip was going to be chapped from all the biting she was inflicting on it. Suddenly, an image of Draco whispering his love for her as they made love and smiling at her when he thought she wasn't looking flashed through her mind, giving her a boost of confidence.

"Actually, Ron, I haven't gone completely barmy. I pride myself as a neuropsychiatric Healer to have a very stable frame of mind. And no, Harry, I'm not joking. I, in fact, do have feelings for Draco. Very strong feelings. We're in love."

"Holy shit," George whispered from the floor, watching the back-and-forth like a tennis match.

Isabelle held Hermione's hand in reassurance and pride.

Harry and Ron looked at each other and then turned back to Hermione. "Now, Hermione, I'm trying really, _really _hard not to lose my temper or be irrational," Ron said surprisingly, "but I'm not sure I follow what you're trying to tell us."

"What are you an idiot?" Fred asked. "Hermione _luurves_ Malfoy. Malfoy _luurves_ Hermione. Can't get any easier than that."

"You love him?" Harry asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"For Merlin's sake, you two are so thick," Isabelle gave a frustrated sighed. "Hermione Granger, your best friend, moved to the Malfoy Manor three weeks ago. She worked with Draco and his mother to help treat her for her schizophrenia. Along the way, she and Draco talked and became closer, realizing that they actually enjoy talking to each other."

Isabelle continued. "Let's not forget the fact that they practically fell into lust at first sight. Hermione is a total hottie, and Draco is an attractive male. Don't look at me like that Harry, just be glad I toned down that comment," Isabelle said, not breaking her rhythm, "that lust turned into love pretty quickly seeing as how they spent most of their time with each other, talking about their childhoods, their regrets, their interests, and what have you. So let's all be adults here and just be happy for Herms because she has snagged herself a pretty decent fella."

Hermione felt a lump form in her throat at Isabelle's defense. She squeezed her friend's hand in thanks.

"And she's happy, so don't you try and make this hard for her," Isabelle added.

Harry and Ron sat with astonished looks: mouths half-open and eyes blinking stupidly. Ellie smiled at Hermione.

"That's great, Hermione. I'm happy for you. I never thought you were a person to make bad decisions, so I know that this is a good one," Ellie said.

"Thank you, Ellie, that's very sweet of you," Hermione said, finding her voice.

"Well, I can never say that I ever liked Malfoy… but if you're happy, then I guess that's alright," Fred said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Just don't give us any details. I'm not sure we could stomach that."

Hermione laughed and hugged Fred.

Ron and Harry kept their shocked stances.

"Are you guys going to say anything? Your opinions really matter to me," Hermione said.

"What do you want us to say, Hermione? That we're happy?" Ron asked a look of hurt and bewilderment on his face. "Because that's one thing I'm definitely not feeling right now. I mean, it's Draco Malfoy for crying out-loud. He called you horrible things in school, made fun of you, made our lives miserable. And now you say you're in love with him?"

"Now, Ron, that's all in the past," Ellie tried placating her husband. "People change."

"Malfoys don't," Harry added.

"Harry, how can you say that when Draco helped lead us to Voldemort?" Hermione asked, her cheeks growing warm with anger and her eyes filling with aggravated tears. "He's a good person who was dealt a crappy hand at life. His father and the Death Eaters did horrible things to him and his mother. No one should have lived the life he did."

"Well if he had such a crappy life, he surely didn't show it. You'd think he was a goddamn prince the way he sauntered around school," Ron retorted. "Had money flowing out his a--"

"That's not fair, Ron. Money meant nothing when he was being abused and being emotionally traumatized by the things he had to go through. Is this what it comes down to? His money? Because he surely has no use for it now that he's on the run from the Ministry."

"That's another thing, he's a bloody criminal, on house-arrest," Ron argued.

"You know for a fact that that is not true in the least. Do you fall asleep at the Order meetings?" Hermione asked, incensed. "He never killed anyone and he never wanted to."

Ron mumbled something under his breath that sounded a lot like 'Dumbledore.'

"Speak up, Ron, I'm not sure I heard you," Hermione said, her hands shaking with ire as Isabelle held them.

"Well if it hadn't been for Malfoy, Dumbledore wouldn't have died, so in a small way, he did kill someone," Ron said.

"He was ordered to kill him. He was being threatened and he was just a scared kid. We all were! You know just as well as I do that if someone threatened to kill your family, you would do whatever was asked of you, or you would at least try," Hermione said, her voice tired and frustration edging through.

She continued, "You know what? I don't need to sit here and defend him to the both of you. He's a good person who's had a rough life and he's seen his mistakes. I love him for the person he has become, not for the person that you think you know. He's not what he was back at Hogwarts and I love the man he has grown up to be."

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "So that's it? You love him?"

Hermione nodded.

"And there's nothing we can do to stop it?" Ron asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You could kill us. That might work."

"Hermione, this is just, it's just surreal," Harry sighed. "This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about. I mean, how can you have a relationship with him when he's imprisoned within his own home?'

"We're doing just fine," Hermione sniffed.

Fred and George snickered. "Don't need to go out much when you do what they do," Fred added.

He received another throw pillow to the gut.

"This is too much for me," Ron said with a shake of his head. "I'm not sure I can handle it right now, I'm sorry, Mione."

"Why can't you just be happy for her?" Ellie asked, taking her husband's hand. "She's in love with him and if they make each other happy then who are we to stand in their way. Yes, you're her best friend, but you have no right to judge her."

"It's ok Ellie. You married a very stubborn man and you'll get used to it in time," Hermione said coldly. "I _am_ very happy with Draco and if you two can't find it within yourselves to be happy for me then I guess I have nothing to say to either of you."

"Oh, come on, Hermione. Don't be like that. You must understand how we feel about all this. You're the brain Healer. How would you feel if Ron or I started dating….dating…"

"Pansy Parkinson," Ron offered.

"Yeah, Pansy Parkinson. How would you feel?" Harry asked.

"Well I'm not sure Isabelle or Ellie would be very happy," Hermione said slyly.

Isabelle and Ellie smiled and winked at Hermione.

"But it doesn't matter who you date because I would put aside my prejudices and my past grievances and try to find a way to be happy for you. You're just not giving Draco the chance he deserves."

Ron and Harry folded their arms across their chests and scowled.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I just can't bring myself to do that," Harry said, receiving a disappointed look from both Isabelle and Hermione.

Ron sighed. "I'm sorry, Mione. Neither can I."

Hermione looked at her two best friends and smiled. "I'm sorry you feel that way," she said and got up from the couch.

Isabelle shot the boys a cold glare and followed Hermione out the door.

"Hermione, love, wait!" Isabelle jogged up alongside Hermione.

Hermione wiped away the cascading tears and leaned against an oak tree, hands shaking.

"They're just a bunch of prats," Isabelle said, hugging Hermione close. "Don't listen to them and I'll talk to Harry and I'm sure El will talk to Ron."

"I understood that they would be upset, but they won't even give him a chance," Hermione said sadly.

"It'll work out, Herms. Trust me, but right now, let them simmer down and collect their thoughts and you just go on back to the manor," Isabelle said, kissing her hair.

Hermione nodded and hugged Isabelle. "Can you come to the manor tomorrow? I'd really like to invite you over for lunch. Narcissa says she misses your wild character."

"Of course I'll come over. Does noon sound ok?" Isabelle asked as they walked towards the Apparition point.

"Perfect, I'll see you then," Hermione said and with a pop, she was gone.

* * *

Draco quietly opened the door to his mother's bed chambers, using the sunlight drifting in through her windows as a light source. He found her sleeping on her bed, her blonde hair spread out on the pillow, looking like the angel he always thought of her to be.

He felt the pain in his chest again as he watched her sleep. He crossed the room and sat down softly on the bed, reaching his hand out to stroke her cheek with his hand.

The things she had lived through, the pain she had had to endure, the trials she had faced were things that Draco wouldn't wish upon his enemies. He leant down and kissed her forehead, sighing with the knowledge that he had caused her emotional trouble.

Narcissa's eyes fluttered open slowly. Taking in her son's melancholy features, she took his hands into her own and kissed them.

"I'm so sorry, mum," he whispered. Sorrow and grief radiated from his light grey eyes. "I shouldn't have said those awful things and I'm just so… I feel terrible."

Narcissa smiled and motioned for him to lie down next to her. She put her arms around him and he laid his head against her chest, listening to her heartbeat.

"I thought I had dreamt that," Narcissa said softly. "I thought I had dreamt your little tantrum."

Draco could hear her small chuckle and could feel her upper body move up and down with it. He tightened his arms around her. "It was real, mum. And I'm sorry. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I'm truly sorry."

Narcissa stroked his soft blond hair away from his face, the way she used to when he was young and was ill. "When you were 5 years old, your father bought you a little plush dragon. You took that thing everywhere. You never let it out of your sight and it was as if you were attached to it by the hip. Your father became upset with you because the toy dragon started to become dirty and dusty from all the use you put it through.

"He told me that I was to get rid of it because you were getting too attached to a mere toy. I, of course, had to obey him, so I snuck into your room one night as you slept and took the dragon away."

"That was you?" Draco asked. "I thought I had lost Mr. Kitty Cat Magoo."

Narcissa laughed. "I forgot you used to call him that."

"Well I was only five. My other experience in naming things resulted in Snot and Poopy," Draco said, a smile gracing his features.

Narcissa laughed again. "Oh my love," she said with a sigh. "You were so distraught after you found your dragon missing. You cried and screamed and yelled and refused to speak to your father because he declined to buy you another one."

"But I remember getting the toy back," Draco said, his brows furrowed, "on my sixth birthday."

"Yes. I came in to tuck you into bed that night and brought with me the original Mr. Kitty Cat Magoo. You were so delighted, but I made you promise to keep him in your room under the bed and only bring him out when your father wasn't home."

"You were the greatest mum a kid could ask for, you know that?" Draco asked.

Narcissa smiled. "I haven't finished the story yet," she said.

"Please continue," Draco said with a laugh.

"Anyways, a few months passed by and you played with your Mr. Kitty Cat Magoo every night before going to bed and then you would put him under your bed so your father wouldn't find him. Well, one night you were playing with him, reading it a story or something and your father walked into your room."

"That was scariest thing I remember as a child. He looked murderous. Looked like he was going to kill someone," Draco reminisced.

Narcissa kept a pointed silence, stroking her son's hair.

"Oh," Draco said after a few moments. "And I behaved the exact same way earlier today."

Narcissa kissed the top of his head. "Yes you did."

"I really am sorry," Draco said with a drawn out sigh.

"I forgive you, my love. I always will," Narcissa said.

"So you and Weasley, huh?" Draco asked trying his hardest not to sound disgusted.

"He's a very charming man," Narcissa said, a smirk unheard in her tone. "Don't you think so, Draco?"

"Oh yes, he swept me off of my feet," Draco said wryly. "Captured my heart. I can't wait to call him 'daddy' when the time comes."

Narcissa laughed. "You always were a silly thing and a drama queen. I never said anything about Charlie being serious."

"Don't tell me Miss virtuous, righteous, Narcissa Black is having a fling. How scandalous!" Draco said, sitting up with a sly grin.

Narcissa winked at him and got out of the bed, leaving her son laughing. She strode over to the window that overlooked the front entrance and Apparition wards.

"Speaking of flings, your lovely lady friend has just arrived," Narcissa pointed out. "Oh, and she doesn't look too happy."

Draco got up from the bed and looked out the window. "She just went to go break the news to Potter and Weasley about our relationship. I'm guessing it didn't go too well."

"You should go comfort her, my love. I'm feeling fine and I have no more use for your devious remarks today," she said with a smile as she led him to the door. "I'll see you two later."

Draco kissed his mother on the cheek and left her wing, walking down to the foyer to meet Hermione. He reached the bottom step when Hermione strode through the door, flinging her cloak off angrily and throwing it over her arm.

She noticed Draco on the bottom step looking at her with a mix of curiosity and worry. "Are you alright, love?" he asked with concern.

Hermione could feel the tears that threatened most of her visit to the Burrow. She let two stray tears fall and practically ran into Draco's arms. His concern for her had pushed her over the tearful edge and she could barely hear her muffled sobbing against his strong chest. His arms wrapped around her protectively.

All worries seemed to diffuse away from her mind. In his arms, she could almost forget the hurt and the pain.

She pulled away slightly to look at him.

His stunning features looked down at her with a sad-smile. She grabbed his face in both her hands and brought it down to meet hers in a violent kiss.

Shock ran primarily through Draco's system at the bruising kiss inflicted upon him by the distraught woman in his arms. He kissed back with fervor, of course, being of the male species, he wasn't going to just push her away.

It was a demanding kiss. She needed him. She needed him to help her.

"Make me forget, Draco. Show me how much you love me and make me forget," she whispered breathily against his mouth.

She could feel his heated arousal against her stomach as she whispered her words and wound her fingers through his downy tresses.

Draco found a lot of trouble in uttering his next words. "You're emotionally vulnerable, love. I'm not going to take advantage of you."

"No, I'm not," she said, her tumbling tears betraying her words. "Please, Draco. I need you. Remind me of our love."

Draco closed his eyes and held her tighter to him. She leaned her head up and kissed his lips softly, nipping his lower lip with her teeth and opening his mouth up to explore. She swallowed his groan and felt his hands move lower down her back towards her backside

He deepened the kiss, slanting his mouth over hers and pushing his blatant arousal into her heat. She moaned throatily and pulled away from his lips, garnering the fresh air that she sought.

She squealed momentarily when she was caught off-guard and Draco lifted her off her feet. She wrapped her legs around his waist and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his forehead and cheeks.

She noticed he wasn't going up the stairs but into the dining room where they had their meals.

"Why aren't we going upstairs?" she asked, voice heavy with lust and longing.

"I'm strong, Hermione, but I'm not Mr. Universe," he said with a grin. "I would have never made it up those infinite count steps."

Hermione laughed huskily and refrained from squealing again as he lay her on the dining room table.

"Surely you're not suggesting we… on the table where we eat our meals?" she asked hesitantly.

"Scared?" he asked, leaning over her and inching her jeans off of her lithe frame.

"No," she responded, meeting his stare and licking her lips, which were entirely too dry for having been kissed but seconds ago. "What if someone catches us?"

"Who? The one other person who lives here?" he asked, latching his fingers into the waistband of her light pink knickers. "She's occupied upstairs. Dinner won't be served for another 3 hours. But dessert will be served right now."

Hermione's breathing increased as Draco stared hungrily at her half-naked form. He lifted one of her legs up to his mouth and kissed a trail from her ankle to behind her knee. He licked the back of her knee and blew a cold stream of air, making her moan low in her throat.

Her fingers gripped the edge of the table, turning her knuckles white. His lips left a path of burning pleasure in their wake as he moved closer to her damp core.

"Draco, please," she said in tone barely above a whisper.

She covered her mouth with one hand as she muffled a scream when she felt his tongue against her warm folds. He held her in place with his hands on her hips, holding her down on the table. She squirmed though with the intense bliss he was evoking with that tongue of his.

He feasted on her as though she were splurge from a diet. Her intoxicating scent drove him to the brink of madness, where he constantly claimed he was. He couldn't get enough of her taste, her smell, couldn't get enough of her. He could tell she was nearing completion, so with the nip of his teeth against her concentrated bud of nerves, he had her calling out his name in climactic urgency.

As she moaned out his name in her orgasm, he swiftly undid his pants and freed his straining erection from the cloth prison. In one dexterous move, he sheathed himself inside of her and almost came to his climax at the intense heat and contraction of her walls around him.

He leaned over her on the table and kissed her slowly, languorously, reveling in the fact that she could taste herself on his lips. She urged him to move by bucking up her hips against him.

He tortured her at first, with slow, laborious strokes, making her moan and scowl at him for going so slow. The nails scaling down his arm and back urged him to speed up his pace.

He obliged to her harsh whim and upped his tempo, pounding into her with a force he didn't know he had. Her back arched up towards him. The thought that they were still half-dressed made a small stop in his mind, but quickly disappeared as Hermione called out his name once more and he could feel her womanhood squeeze him in its climax.

Hermione brought him to his own completion and he gutturally whispered her name as he came hard. They sat panting for air, sweat clinging to their bodies, making their shirts stick to their bodies.

Draco kissed Hermione's cheek, whispering words into her ear, "I love you."

Hermione bit back a sob as she nodded against his shoulder. "Thank you," she said breathlessly. "Thank you for showing me how much."

He pulled out of her and brought his boxers and pants back up, zipping them up as Hermione put on her own missing articles of clothing.

Fully dressed, Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist in a squeezing hug. "How can we ever eat on that table again?"

Draco laughed and walked her towards the door. "The house-elves clean it before every meal, and it's not like we made a mess. We're very clean lovers."

Hermione chuckled against his chest. "Did you speak to your mother?"

Draco nodded and kissed the top of Hermione's head.

Hermione sighed. "I guess I don't have to tell you that Ron and Harry didn't take the news very well."

"They can rot in hell for all I care," Draco said frigidly.

Hermione frowned. "They're still my best friends, Draco. I would like their approval at least."

Draco sighed as they climbed the steps towards his wing. "Don't you understand that they're never going to approve of me? I'm public enemy number one to them and to the rest of the Wizarding world."

"Isabelle approves, Fred and George approve," Hermione argued.

"The Weasel twins approve? Oh well then, that settles it," Draco said sarcastically.

Hermione swatted his backside with her hand playfully. "Keep your sharp tongue out of this or I won't be repaying you for your, mmmm, delightful table manners," she said wantonly.

Draco smirked and opened the double doors to his wing. "You sure know how to shut a man up."

"Oh, I know plenty of ways," she said, grabbing his face and bringing his lips to hers in a scorching, lip-chapping kiss.


	15. We're Crashing into the Unknown

Disclaimer: I still don't own this stuff

A/N: The chapter title comes from the song: "First Time" by Lifehouse

* * *

**Chapter 15: We're Crashing into the Unknown**

"Are you still sulking about those two idiots who haven't 'approved' of our relationship?" Draco asked Hermione as they sat in the library each reading their own preferred tome.

Hermione frowned at Draco who was sitting across from her on the couch while she sat in the armchair. "I'm not sulking and they're not idiots," she said bluntly.

Draco rolled his eyes. "It's been three weeks of you sitting around in your free time, moping and being miserable. I expect any day now for you to break into some sort of Hamlet soliloquy about how unfair your life is."

Hermione's frown deepened and she chose to ignore Draco. There was some truth in his argument. No matter how happy she was in her relationship with Draco, the niggling thought of how her two closest friends were upset with her decisions kept a stronghold in the back of her mind.

"They haven't even talked to me in three weeks," Hermione admitted sadly, even though Draco knew this. "When I went to see Isabelle on the weekends, they purposely avoided both her and me."

Draco feigned interest in his book as he slowly planned a slow and exceedingly painful death for the carrot-top retard and the four-eyed wanker. Using a failing façade, he wanted to let Hermione know that they would come around.

"Don't worry about it, love. They are just stubborn," Draco said through gritted teeth.

"You'd think that since Charlie and your mother are an item now that Ron would be a bit more tolerant," Hermione said.

"What did I say about mentioning that?" Draco asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Hermione gave Draco a pointed look. "Oh please, as if you didn't see Charlie leaving the manor this morning wearing the same clothes he had on last night."

Draco scowled. "As an exceedingly brilliant neuropsychiatrist, you are the first to understand that I have tried to master the art of repressing images and memories. Thanks for bringing it all back to the surface," Draco said with malice.

Hermione laughed. "And what did I say about repressing things?"

"That the more I repress, the closer I get to losing my sanity and eventually losing you," Draco repeated in a monotone voice as he rolled his eyes yet again.

"So, what have you repressed lately?" Hermione asked, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Draco didn't fall for it though. "No, Hermione. I will not allow you to psychoanalyze me for the billionth time. You think you're sneaky in the ways you try to get me to spill, but darling, let me just tell you that I'm a Slytherin and we wrote the book on sneakiness. So, just stop bothering."

"Hmph," she scoffed.

"You can 'hmph' all you want, love, I'm not budging," he replied, perusing his book idly.

"I'm expecting a floo from Isabelle, _love_, so I'll leave you to your sneaky Slytherin glory," Hermione said cheekily.

Draco grinned as Hermione left the room. He enjoyed their playful banter almost as much as he enjoyed making love to her, which was a whole damn lot.

* * *

"Oh, Hermione, he just left," Isabelle said despondently through the floo. "I'm seriously so upset with him."

Hermione smiled sadly. "Don't let what's going on with him and me get between the two of you. He's still a wonderful bloke and one of my best friends. He's just being a bit mean at the moment."

"Three weeks is not at the moment," Isabelle said strongly. "I refused to sleep with him until he accepts what's going on with you and Malfoy."

Hermione quirked an eyebrow. "Why do I find that hard to believe?"

Isabelle's smile shined brightly. "Ok, fine… it hasn't really turned out the way I planned. He's very convincing, especially after he comes over after a long day of Auror… ing. Lord, Hermione, the body on that man…"

"Ok, Belle, thanks for that," Hermione said with a grimace. "You don't need to punish him with your failed abstinence."

"Well, obviously, the abstinence thing isn't working, but Ellie and I are talking to them almost every day about this. They know we're upset. And we've been using guilt trips to the best of our abilities, making them see how miserable you are and how upset you are about all of this."

Hermione grinned. "Like Draco says, they'll come around. Although I don't think he's entirely too pleased with that idea. In fact, if they do come around… I think he has other plans for how to receive them. Agonizing ones."

Isabelle chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't stop him. Those two are so annoyingly stubborn that I just want to scream.

"Yes, they are," Hermione agreed. "But I really miss them, Belle, and I hate that they're not happy with me."

"I hate it too, doll. I'll keep working on Harry and I'll tell Ellie to step up the persuasion, but she's finding that difficult at the moment since she and Ron are still newlyweds and barely leave the bedroom."

"Another piece of information I don't need, thank you Belle," Hermione frowned.

"With all of the sex you must be having with Draco, you'd think you would get comfortable with the subject," Isabelle mused.

"Belle! Really, no need for that," Hermione could feel her face flush.

"C'mon, Herms! You've been doing the nasty with that hunk of man-meat for nearly a month and a half! And I still haven't gotten any details!" Isabelle countered.

"And you're not going to get any," Hermione said plainly.

"Ugh, you are so boring," Isabelle laughed.

"Some people might call me modest or private," Hermione said.

"Yes, but I'm not some people," Isabelle said obviously.

Hermione laughed and shook her head. "I'll talk to you later, Isabelle, tell everyone I said hi."

"Bye, Hermione. Will I see you this weekend?"

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe, I don't think I can stand coming around and not seeing Harry and Ron."

Isabelle blew Hermione a kiss and her head disappeared from the flames. Hermione took a deep breath and stood up from before the fireplace, steadying herself when she became dizzy from standing up too quickly.

"You ok?" Draco's voice sounded behind her.

"Yeah, I just got up too fast," she said. "Were you listening to our conversation?"

Draco smiled. "No, I just walked in. My mum wants to talk to you."

"Really? Is she ok?" Hermione asked.

"She's fine, just wants to talk," Draco replied.

Hermione nodded and followed Draco out of the room.

Finding Narcissa alone in her wing, Hermione told Draco she'd meet up with him later and went to sit next to Narcissa on her couch.

"Dear, is the door closed?" Narcissa asked.

Hermione nodded.

"Good, because I don't want Draco overhearing this," Narcissa cautioned.

"What is it?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"Oh it's nothing serious, but I just wanted to talk to you, woman-to-woman," Narcissa mentioned.

"Ok, so what did you want to talk about?" Hermione asked.

"I was just wondering, Hermione, if Draco was mistreating you," Narcissa said seriously.

Hermione's eyes widened. "No, not at all, Narcissa. What gave you that impression?"

"Well, you've been so sad lately," Narcissa said with a concerned look. "And since all we talk about during our therapy sessions is me, I figured, you never got a chance to get things off of your own chest."

Hermione smiled. "That's very sweet that you noticed, Narcissa, but I'm just a bit upset over my friends who don't really approve of Draco and me being together."

"Oh, I see," Narcissa said with relief clearly sketched on her face. "But you would tell me if Draco ever brought you grief?"

Hermione's grin grew wider. "Draco brings me grief on a daily basis with that sharp tongue of his and that blasted sarcasm, but I don't think he would ever purposely, truly upset me."

Narcissa smiled at this, "I'm glad, darling. You make Draco so happy and I just want the best for the two of you."

"Thank you, Narcissa. It means a lot to me that you care. Now, on to more pressing matters, how are you doing?"

Narcissa's smile slowly faded. "I've been doing well, Hermione. But I have to ask you, is there a possibility that I could stop taking the anti-depressant potions? I'm willing to keep taking the two other potions, but I'm getting a bit tired of taking the anti-depressant."

Hermione nodded along. "It's a really good sign that you're recognizing the adverse effects of taking the anti-depressant and that you've discovered on your own that you don't want to take it anymore. We will do a trial week where we can take you off the potion gradually; reducing the doses you take until you don't have to take it at all."

"That sounds great," Narcissa said happily. "Are you sure it will be beneficial?"

"I'm positive. I've always been an advocate of using less medications and more therapeutic practices, such as communication applications and personal meditations. I think you'll do very well off of the anti-depressant."

Narcissa smiled. "Thank you, Hermione. I really mean it. I'm so glad that you're my Healer."

"Me too," Hermione agreed. "Now, are you going to join Draco and me for lunch or is Charlie coming over?"

Narcissa's cheeks turned a light pink hue as a soft smile graced her lips. "Charlie actually went to Romania to settle some work-related things. He won't be back for a month."

"A month? That's an awfully long time," Hermione said. "It's still such a new relationship."

"Well, we're not really in a relationship, per se," Narcissa said, a mischievous smile overtaking the soft one.

Hermione looked confused. "You're _not_ in a relationship?"

Narcissa thought for a moment. "It's purely… physical."

"Oh my," Hermione blushed.

"Well we both agreed that it wouldn't progress more than that and we're both perfectly fine with that," Narcissa said.

"I see," Hermione said dumbly. "Does Draco know about this?"

Narcissa laughed. "No, he does not. I mentioned once before that this was just a fling, but I don't think he took me seriously. I'm not quite sure how he would take it and I'd rather not upset him."

"I don't think you should tip-toe around your son like that, Narcissa. Are you afraid he would get mad at you again?" Hermione asked.

"I don't like it when he's angry," Narcissa admitted.

"Well, then I think this will be a good exercise. You will tell Draco that you are not in a real relationship with Charlie and that it's just a sexual liaison," Hermione said as she went into professional mode and tried not to blush at the conversation.

"Ok," Narcissa said uneasily. "Do we do that now?"

"If you'd like, we can do it right now. Now before we do it, I want you to do me a favor," Hermione assessed. "When you speak to him, you're going to put on the true Narcissa Black airs that I know have been hidden."

Narcissa nodded. "So basically, act as conceited and uncaring as possible?"

Hermione laughed gaily. "Whatever gets the job done."

"Alright then, let's go traumatize my son," Narcissa said, standing up in her regal fashion.

Hermione stood up and followed Narcissa out of the room, knowing that this would go smoothly and that she'd simply kill Draco if he was difficult.

* * *

"Wherever could he be?" Narcissa asked as they passed the first floor library for the second time.

"I'm not sure, did you ask one of the house-elves?" Hermione asked.

"Hmm, good idea. Cammy, dear, could you tell us where Draco is?" Narcissa asked the passing house-elf.

"Master Draco is running around the manor outside" Cammy promptly answered.

"Oh that's right, it's noon," Hermione said. "He always goes running at noon."

"Well, we should intercept him. I feel confident enough to do this now and I don't want to lose my resolve," Narcissa said.

"Ok, we'll see him in the garden, since he just runs circles," Hermione suggested.

They walked out to the garden and luckily for them, Draco had just run past them. He slowed down when he saw them and jogged over to where they stood by the glass doors.

Hermione could feel her eyes widen and her mouth go dry… and other parts south of the border become a bit wet. She had seen Draco in all sorts of nakedness, but seeing him after running, wearing just some running shorts and a smile had a very arousing effect on her.

Sweat clung to his body and his hair was pushed back away from his face, highlighting his strong and handsome features.

"Can I help you ladies?" his husky, out-of-breath voice brought Hermione out of her lust-induced reverie.

"Draco, I need to speak with you about something," Narcissa said in a crisp, solid tone.

"Ok… now?" he asked, holding his side and trying to pretend he had no idea how much he was affecting Hermione, who was looking at him like a starved woman.

"Yes, that would be best," Narcissa spoke. "Draco, dear, I just came out here to tell you that I am not in a relationship with Charlie."

Draco folded his arms across his broad chest which obstructed Hermione's view. "Ok. I'm sorry about that. You want me to beat him up for you?"

Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "We never had a relationship. So it isn't as if he ended things with me."

"I'm not sure I completely understand," Draco said.

Narcissa smiled. "I think you should know that Charlie and I are not in an emotionally connected relationship, just one of physicality."

Draco furrowed his blond eyebrows and chanced a look at Hermione. She gave him a look that he couldn't quite decipher.

"So you're telling me that you and Weasley are just… having sex?" Draco asked.

Hermione felt the awkwardness level in the garden soar. Narcissa just kept on smiling, truly playing the Narcissa Black part to a 't'.

"Yes, that's right. And we are both fine with it. I'm not looking for your approval or to make you upset. I just felt that you ought to know."

Draco ran his tongue over his lower lip: an action Hermione recognized was one he made when he was thinking about something.

"Ok, as long as you're fine with it and as long as he doesn't do anything to hurt you or make you upset, then you do whatever makes you happy," Draco said, surprising both his mother and Hermione.

Narcissa threw her arms around Draco, kissing his cheek and hugging him tight.

"Mum, I'm all sweaty," he complained.

"I don't care," she sniffed, holding back her fragile emotions.

Draco smiled and hugged her back.

Narcissa excused herself after a moment and left Hermione and Draco out in the garden.

"Like what you see?" Draco asked, standing with his hands on his hips, a smirk playing at the edges of his lips.

Hermione smirked back. "Maybe," she countered.

"Maybe, eh?" he asked, grabbing her by the arms and bringing her flush up against his chest. "I saw the way you were practically drooling, love. Maybe I should start inviting you to watch me run if I knew how much it worked you up."

Hermione laughed. "You are so full of yourself."

"I know you'd like to be full of myself, too," he whispered in her ear.

Hermione felt a shiver go down her spine, even with the warm weather, she could feel it. Draco nibbling on her earlobe didn't help matters in the slightest.

"Ok, Mr. Runner, I'll race you to your wing. Ready, set…" She ran off before she said 'go,' leaving him shaking his head and letting her take the lead.

* * *

Stroking his white-blond hair out of his eyes as he slept, Hermione could feel the tears welling up behind her eyelids. She wouldn't have usually gotten so emotional, but she just couldn't quite understand why she was tearing up.

The stress of Harry and Ron being obstinate fools, treating Narcissa, trying to get Draco to talk more about his troubles, and having copious amounts of wonderful sex could really get to a girl.

She kissed his forehead and settled into his side, basking in the soft warmth of his strong body.

* * *

Hermione awoke to an empty bed. She lifted her head up to scan the room and found Draco standing at the window, looking out over the grounds. He had pulled on his boxers and a white t-shirt. She could have stared at him for hours, but she put on her own underwear and shirt, finding them scattered on the floor.

She went and wrapped her arms around him from behind, running her palms over his chest. He didn't move from his position, just kept looking over the grounds, as if the extremely beautiful woman who held his heart wasn't giving him her undivided attention.

"What's wrong, Draco?" she asked, worried about the hint of grief she caught in his eyes as she moved to stand next to him.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry," he said, his tone thick with emotion. He wouldn't look at her, only at the foggy grounds beneath them.

"What on earth are you sorry about?" she asked with a confused smile.

"I love you, Hermione… I do," he said slowly. "I only want you to be happy. And I'm not just saying that and I know it sounds cliché, but I really do want you to be happy."

Hermione smiled. "And you're sorry about that?"

"I'm ending our relationship," he said solidly.

Hermione's arched eyebrow hid her surprise. "What?"

"It's over between us. You're not happy because Potter and Weasley don't want us together. So I'm solving it by ending what we have."

"Wow, you're an idiot," Hermione said plainly.

Draco turned angrily towards her. "_I'm_ the idiot? At least I'm not basing my happiness on what two fucktards think about my love-life. I'm serious, Hermione. I've thought long and hard about this. It's over. I can't stand being the reason you're upset."

Hermione couldn't believe her ears. "But you're not the reason I'm upset, Draco… it's Harry and Ron."

"And why are you upset with them? Because of me," he retorted. He turned back to the window, a lump forming in his throat. "I've already arranged with Healer Brandon for a new Healer for my mother."

"Wait… so I'm being fired and dumped at the same time? Real classy, Draco," Hermione said. Her anger was slowly ebbing towards fury, only abated by the small hope that he was joking.

"You still have a job at St. Mungo's," Draco said, his hands gripping the window pane so hard that his knuckles were whiter than the rest of his skin. "I just didn't think it wise for you to stay here."

Hermione blinked back tears. "Well, too bad it's not up to you. Your mother seems to have taken a liking to me and I don't think she would like you switching Healers on her."

"Too bad it _is_ up to me," he said. "The new Healer will be here tomorrow at noon."

"What about you being Draco Malfoy and being on the run from the government and all that bullshit?" she asked, her voice rising in pitch.

"Healer Brandon has placed a secret-keeping type charm on the Healer. He won't be able to tell anyone," Draco said, his eyes closed.

"Oh, so it's a he? Afraid you would fall in love with the next female to fall into your damn spiderweb?" Hermione spat.

Draco turned to look at her. She could see him holding back his emotions with his eyes. "So that's it? You think I fell in love with you out of convenience? After all I've done to prove to you that I love you with everything I possess and that I'll do anything to keep you happy?"

"You think breaking up with me will make me happy?" Hermione yelled.

"Yes, Hermione! If we're not together then your idiot friends will talk to you again, and they'll do whatever it is that makes you regard them with such high esteem" Draco countered.

"So that's it? Everything we've been through? Over? Just because you find yourself _so_ noble that you're doing me a favor by breaking up with me?" Hermione asked, fire coming alive in her brown eyes

"I love you, Hermione," he reassured; his eyes back towards the windows. "God, I really do. You think I want to end what we have? But I can't stand to see you so miserable. It hurts me more than you think, and maybe I'm being selfish in trying to prevent my own pain in seeing you so hurt, but I've made my decision."

Hermione's gaze steeled. "Fine, I'll be gone within the hour."

Draco turned back to her. "Stay tonight," he pleaded. He actually pleaded. An action rare for him.

Hermione laughed harshly. "Yeah, right."

"For my mother," he added.

Hermione shook her head. "I'll be gone within the hour, Malfoy."

His breath almost hitched at the use of his surname. "Hermione, please… don't be like this."

"You have a lot of nerve. You also are a liar," Hermione said, walking away from the window, unable to stay standing next to him.

"How am I a liar?" Draco asked, following her.

"You say you love me, but now I know that it's all a lie. I'm upset with Harry and Ron, not with you, you jackass. Well, now I'm upset with you. But I can't believe you think that breaking up is the right thing to do. You know what? You're right… you have officially lost your mind."

"I only want you to be happy, Hermione," Draco said, his frown prominent on his face.

"I'm happy when I'm with you!" she screamed. "I don't care about what Harry and Ron think."

Draco's face stiffened with a scowl. "If you didn't care, you wouldn't be miserable and moping around and just having the emotional variance of a bi-polar patient. So don't tell me you don't care what they think!"

Hermione gasped a sob and shook her head. He was right and she didn't want to believe it.

"Hermione, please don't think that I don't love you. If I wasn't in hiding from the Ministry, I swear I would have married you," Draco said, startling Hermione with this revelation.

Another sob escaped her as she stood by his door, listening to things she did not want to hear. She shook her head again. "Don't say that, Draco. If it's over between us, then don't say things like that."

"It's up to you whether it's over between us. Either you can stop caring about what others think of our relationship and everything will work out fine, or you can admit to yourself that Potter and Weasley's approval means more to you than my love."

"That's n-not f-fair, Draco!" Hermione wept. Her emotions were starting to get on her nerves. Since when was she such a sniveling, crying girl?

"I know they mean a lot to you, but I don't want to be second-in-line to them," Draco said, her tears burning a hole through his heart.

Hermione wiped her cheeks and opened the door, half-walking, half-running to her wing. It hurt that he wasn't coming after her, but nothing hurt more than the pain taking residence in her mind that he had ended things with her… and that she had to pack and leave within the hour.

* * *

"What do you mean, you've let her go?!" Narcissa said loudly, pacing in front of her son's fireplace, as he laid face-down on his couch.

"I mean, it's over between us and you're getting a new Healer tomorrow," Draco repeated, muffled by having his face buried in the couch cushion.

"I don't want a new Healer," Narcissa scowled. "Why didn't you consult me about this? I love Hermione like my own child, and I do not want her to leave."

"Too late," Draco mused. "I'm sorry mum, there was no way around it."

"Of course there was a way around it," Narcissa started, but Draco cut her off.

"I didn't enjoy spending time with her when she was miserable. And I especially didn't like being the cause of it! I'll say it again, but I just want her to be happy like she deserves, so if you cut out the middle man, which is me, then she will go back to her old happy existence that her friends approved of."

"Draco Malfoy, you are thinking so foolishly! She is happy when she is with you. She's hopelessly, madly in love with you and you are just going to make her even more miserable."

"She cares too much about what those idiots think that I don't want to compete," Draco retorted.

"God, you are so insufferable and every inch a Slytherin. When the going gets tough, the Slytherin gets the hell out of there."

Draco lifted his head up and he looked angry. "It would have been incredibly selfish of me to keep up a relationship with her that was ruining her friendships with two people she obviously cares about. Last time I checked, Slytherins were the most selfish character-types."

Narcissa let out a drawn-out sigh. "Fine, if you are happy with making the both of you miserable, then I certainly don't want to put a damper in your activities. I'm going to go talk to her, make sure she knows that someone still cares about how she is feeling."

Draco scowled and ignored his mother as he buried his face back into the couch cushions, half-trying to smother himself and half-trying to escape his excruciating hurt.

* * *

Hermione's bags sat packed against the door, ready to be shrunken so she could stick them in her purse. She buckled the strap on her flat sandals and brushed away the cascading tears from her cheeks.

A knock at the door sounded and Hermione's heart betrayed her by dearly hoping that Draco was on the other side of that door.

She straightened up and brushed away any stray tears. "Come in," she croaked out.

Narcissa walked into the room and quickly strode over to Hermione, enveloping her in a warm hug. This simple action spurred Hermione to tears again. She rested her face on Narcissa's shoulder, sobbing silently.

"I don't want you to go, Hermione," Narcissa said softly. "I've come to care for you as if you were the daughter I never had. I wish things were different and I wish you could have made a home here at the manor, but sometimes things don't always go as we plan."

Hermione pulled back, smiling sadly and wiping her face. "I'm going to miss you, Narcissa. And I promise I'll come see you as much as I possibly can. You have made so much progress and I know you will do well with any Healer you get. I'll tell the new one that you're going to be weaned off of the anti-depressants," Hermione said wrapping her arms around the older woman, hugging her tight.

"Hermione, dear, as much as I disagree with my son's actions, please remember that he's never loved anyone more than he loves you. He thinks this is for the best and I truly believe he just wants to see you happy. Although, he's nowhere near happy right now."

Hermione's stomach felt strange at the news that Draco was miserable. "I love him so much, Narcissa."

Narcissa suppressed her own tears. "I know, darling. And he loves you just as much."

"I wish I didn't care what my friends thought, but I can't help it, Narcissa. They mean so much to me, I mean, we've all been through so much together and they're practically family to me. I hold you and Draco with just as much esteem."

Narcissa smiled. "This will all work itself out, Hermione. I don't for one second believe that this is the end of your relationship with Draco."

"Really?" Hermione asked.

"Not at all. You two belong together. I mean, the both of you are going through so much misery because he holds your happiness above all else. You ignored his past indiscretions, no matter how awful they were and loved him for the man he is. That's just not the disposable kind of love."

Hermione nodded numbly. "I want to be the strong type and hold my head up high, but I don't want it to end. I feel so weak just admitting that."

"Of course you don't want it to end. You have a strong bond together that not many people are lucky to experience. Just play along with Draco's illusion that this will make you feel better. Because, honey, he doesn't want this to end. Not one bit… but he wants you to have your friends' approval, which as you've said, means a lot to you. Hermione, he's miserable."

"Well, it's his own damn fault," Hermione said with difficulty. Because the fact of the matter was: she didn't want him to hurt.

Narcissa laughed softly. "I'll be expecting you back soon at the manor, Hermione. I won't let the new Healer get too comfortable here. I'll tell him outright that you'll be back very quickly."

Hermione smiled and kissed Narcissa's cheek. "I hope that's what really happens."

"Oh, it will," Narcissa assured. "I'd tell you to just leave your stuff here, but then that would probably be pushing it."

Hermione laughed and then sighed. "I should get going."

Narcissa nodded, linking arms with Hermione and walking with her towards the double doors of the wing.

"You know what, Narcissa? I_ will_ be back. I love that stupid man and I will give him time to think about how stupid he actually is. But I'll come back, after he's begged and pleaded. It'll be good for him to see what he's missing."

Narcissa grinned widely. "Now that's the Hermione I know and love."

Hermione laughed as they walked down the stairs. She hesitated as they came across the double doors to Draco's wing. As a last moment decision, she opened his door without bothering to knock and walked right in, Narcissa still holding her arm and smiling secretly.

Draco hadn't moved from his pathetic position of lying face-down on his couch. Hermione and Narcissa came to stand in front of him. One of them cleared their throats and Draco slowly brought his head up, eyeing the intruders, before shooting up to a sitting position at seeing Hermione.

"I've just come to say goodbye for now," Hermione said, her voice clear and her stance stately.

Draco nodded slowly. "Goodbye, then. Thank you for everything."

He sure knew how to play the apathetic fool.

Hermione smiled and turned on her heel, Narcissa in tow, smirking.

The minute they were outside of the room, Hermione's smile disappeared and she almost sank against Narcissa, feeling quite dizzy.

"Are you alright, dear?" Narcissa asked, gaining a firmer grip on Hermione.

"Yeah, that was just a lot harder than I thought," Hermione said, her eyes closed, trying to blind out the vertigo.

"I'll walk you to the Apparition point," Narcissa said, trying to distract Hermione from the crash they heard from Draco's wing. He always was an advocate of breaking things when he was angry.

As they neared the Apparition point, Narcissa gave Hermione one final hug, before saying goodbye and winking. "See you soon!" she shouted before watching the young witch apparate away.

* * *

As a last-minute decision, Hermione didn't apparate to her own flat, but to Isabelle's. Knocking on the door, Hermione hoped Harry wasn't there, because she wouldn't have been able to restrain herself from causing him bodily harm.

"HERMS!" Isabelle's voice cut through her thoughts of vendetta. "What are you doing here, babe? It's only a Tuesday."

For some unknown reason, the tears started again. Hermione flung herself into Isabelle's embrace and felt herself being guided to the couch.

"What's he done now?" Isabelle asked softly, stroking Hermione's curls.

"He ended things with me," Hermione sniffed, pulling away from Isabelle.

"He did what?!" Isabelle gasped.

Hermione told Isabelle everything. She found herself defending Draco on more accounts than one, telling Isabelle that he did it so that she could be happy and so that Harry and Ron would talk to her again.

Isabelle sat stunned once Hermione had relayed the entire story. "Wow… kind of romantic in a twisted way."

Hermione shrugged. "I'm so emotionally drained, Belle. Seriously, I've never felt so out of touch with my mind before."

Isabelle furrowed her dark blonde brows. "What do you mean?"

"I've just been crying and getting really upset over small things. Not just today but for the past couple of days. I think ever since I told Harry and Ron about Draco and me. I feel like I have depression symptoms, just not as strong."

Isabelle thought for a moment. "What else?"

"When I was with Draco, I would push those sad thoughts away but I think he could tell that I was still a bit melancholy. I miss him already."

Isabelle's brain was working in full Healer mode. "Anything else been going on with you lately? Besides the emotional disparity?"

Hermione gave her a perplexed look. "Um… well, I've been having bouts of dizziness at times, but that could just be attributed to the stress."

Isabelle stood up from the couch and disappeared into her room, coming back out with the golden wand all Healers carried.

"Why'd you bring out your prognosi-wand?" Hermione asked. "I'm fine, Belle, just stressed out."

"Just humor me," Isabelle said, a determined and knowing look crossing her eyes.

Hermione sighed and lay down on the couch. "You're such a drama queen, Isabelle."

"Have you taken any pain-relieving potions or anti-histamine potions recently?" Isabelle asked in the professional voice she used at the hospital.

"No," Hermione responded.

"Do you have a regular menstrual cycle?" Isabelle questioned. "Sometimes an irregular cycle could be causing your raging moods."

"It's usually pretty regular… come to think of it…" Hermione trailed off.

Isabelle passed the prognosi-wand over Hermione's body three times, watching the mist of color stay a stagnant bronze.

Isabelle smiled when the color stayed bronze as she completed the prognosis incantation. A double-check and Isabelle couldn't contain her chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?" Hermione asked shakily. She had been counting weeks and months in her head, praying that she hadn't figured out what Isabelle already knew.

"Shit, Hermione; you're preggers," Isabelle said with a silly grin.

"Preggers? Is that slang for mildly depressed?" Hermione asked futilely.

"It's slang for you've got a little baby Malfoy sitting in your womb ready to make your dramatic relationship with Draco a lot more interesting," Isabelle said, sitting down next to Hermione with a large smile. "Congratulations!"

Hermione smiled, surprised that she wasn't hyperventilating at the news that she was pregnant… with Draco's spawn… right after he had broken things off with her. Strange world.

"How far along am I?" Hermione asked, not caring to figure it out herself.

"About a month," Isabelle replied. "So about the same time that you told Harry and Ron, which would explain your varying moods and your bouts of dizziness. Some women get dizziness and some get morning sickness and then some get both. It's still a bit early, so you might not get the morning sickness yet, if at all."

"This day is officially the most interesting day I've ever lived. I've been dumped, fired, and knocked up. It's like one of those horrid romance novels you read when you think no one is looking," Hermione teased.

Isabelle laughed. "Mock all you want, Herms. But those books are seriously awesome. But now's not the time for that. You're going to spend the night with me here and then tomorrow we can sort all of this out. We'll figure out how we're going to tell Draco…"

"He's going to lose it," Hermione considered. "Don't worry, I'm going to tell him, but it's a lot for him to take. He's still a prisoner in his own home… and, goodness… I just don't know how he's going to feel about this."

"You're not worried that he'll take you back just because of the baby?" Isabelle asked.

Hermione smiled. "Oh, he was going to take me back regardless… this predicament will just help things along."

"I love this confidence you've gotten from living with the Malfoys," Isabelle laughed. "Let's hope the kiddo doesn't turn out to have the arrogance of its parents."

Hermione playfully slapped Isabelle on the arm. "This is really real, isn't it?"

"Yep!" Isabelle said excitedly. "I'm going to be an auntie!!"

"I'm going to be a mummy, oh dear god, I'm going to be a mother!" Hermione exclaimed. "And the idiot love of my life is going to be a daddy."

"Isn't it fun knowing something he doesn't? Serves him damn right," Isabelle said.

Hermione half-smiled. As much as she loved Isabelle, she wished she was with Draco, celebrating this news, instead of feeling a pit of emptiness within her knowing they were apart for an unpredictable amount of time. All she could do now was play the waiting game until morning and hope that the intense sorrow she felt from his absence wouldn't give her a restless night. She was sleeping for two now.


	16. Oh My Star is Fading

Disclaimer: negative

A/N: the chapter title comes from the song, "Amsterdam" by Coldplay

* * *

**Chapter 16: Oh My Star is Fading **

Isabelle awoke groggily to the urgent knocking at her front door. She passed by the guest room where Hermione was sleeping and tripped over a stray slipper. She resumed her sleepy walk and pulled her dressing gown tighter around her, wondering who was at the door at only eight in the morning.

She looked through the peephole and almost choked on her own saliva to find Narcissa standing outside, wearing exquisite robes, but looking quite anxious and frazzled.

Isabelle quickly unlocked the door using her wand, putting down the appropriate wards and then fumbling with the handle as she yanked the door open.

"Narcissa, what a surprise," Isabelle said in a sleep-heavy voice, clearing her throat for the inevitable conversation.

"Oh, Isabelle, something awful has happened," Narcissa said, her voice breaking at the end.

"Come in, please," Isabelle ushered the older woman in. "What's going on?"

Narcissa wrenched her hands together and held back tears as she steadied herself against the wall.

"Draco has been captured and arrested," she said in a small, exhausted voice.

Isabelle's jaw dropped and for once in her life, she was rendered speechless.

"He… he m-made the stupid decision to apparate to Hermione's flat to apologize and he d-didn't realize that the Ministry has t-tabs on his Apparitions, which is extremely powerful magic. The m-minute he apparated…" Narcissa wiped away tears from her face.

"Narcissa!" Hermione's voice came from behind them.

Hermione stood in the doorway to the living room, pulling her hair away from her face and staring wide-eyed at the crying woman.

"Oh, Hermione!" Narcissa sobbed and put her face in her hands.

Hermione looked between Isabelle and Narcissa. "What's going on?" she asked in a worried tone.

Isabelle swallowed and took a breath. "Hermione, Draco has been arrested."

Hermione blinked rapidly as if not understanding. "What?"

"Draco tried apparating to your flat and somehow the Ministry has some sort of tracking system on him if he tried to apparate someplace and now he's incarcerated somewhere," Isabelle tried explaining.

Hermione looked back to Narcissa who was nodding and crying simultaneously. In two quick strides, Hermione reached Narcissa and held her in a comforting embrace.

"Narcissa, it's going to be ok. Draco is not guilty of whatever they've charged him with and we will find a way to get him out," Hermione said firmly, which was a complete contrast to how she was feeling.

"You don't know those Ministry officials, Hermione. They are relentless and stubborn… they believe that Draco is guilty and nothing can change their minds."

"But in his trial, he will get…" Hermione started but was cut off by Isabelle.

"He doesn't get a trial, Herms," she said sadly. "He is wanted for the death of Dumbledore and for having an association with Death Eaters. They've already accused him of those things and he was found guilty."

Hermione felt her head spin. "He doesn't get a trial? But… but that's irrational. Everyone has a right to a trial…"

"This isn't America, Herms. Wizarding laws are a bit archaic and follow the adage of 'guilty until proven innocent.'"

"Isabelle's right, Hermione," Narcissa said with a shaky voice. "Draco's transgressions warrant him no mercy with the Wizarding courts and he is set…" she broke off into sobs.

"He is set for what, Narcissa?" Hermione asked, rubbing her back.

"He is set for execution t-t-tomorrow," she sobbed.

Hermione didn't know how, but her next few actions resulted in somehow getting dressed, calming Narcissa down, leaving instructions with Isabelle on keeping Narcissa composed, and making her way down to the Ministry of Magic.

Walking swiftly through the Ministry's entrance and towards the second level where the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was housed, Hermione ignored the wave of dizziness and nausea threatening to abort her trek.

Upon reaching her destination, Hermione glared at the man sitting behind his desk and ruffling his hair in a bored fashion.

He looked up when she barged into his office with a hesitant smile. "Hermione? What are you doing here?"

"Harry, you better give me one good reason not to use an unforgivable on you," she said in a semi-controlled tone that she didn't know she possessed.

Harry stared at Hermione in clear shock. "What are you talking about?"

"You're one of the Head Aurors here. How could you let them arrest Draco?"

Harry's shock was replaced with, well… more shock. "They arrested him? When?"

Hermione ran a frustrated hand through her hair. "It's so great knowing our law system is in the hands of such competence."

"No need to lose your temper, Hermione. I had no idea this happened," Harry said, standing up from behind his desk.

"It's your fault that it happened in the first place!" Hermione yelled. "If you and Ron had just gained a morsel of maturity and accepted the fact that Draco and I loved each other, then none of this would have happened."

Harry wrinkled his brow. "I'm confused as to how this is my fault."

Hermione drew out a harsh breath and took a seat in front of his desk to prevent falling over from the onslaught of lightheadedness.

She relayed the entire ordeal to him in one sentence. She cleverly left out the part about how there happened to be a Malfoy child resting in her uterus.

"He thought that breaking up with you would make you happy?" Harry asked slowly.

"It's a lot more chivalrous than it sounds," she defended. "He thought that if we were no longer an item, then maybe you and Ron would start talking to me again and that that would make me happy. I forgot to tell him that I could care less whether you two dimwits approve of our relationship now."

"It only took his arrest for you to see that," Harry mumbled.

Hermione heard him clear as day and shook her head instead of sending back a retort, or a punch. "Harry, he can't be executed. He's innocent."

"I know he's innocent, Hermione. I was there when he showed up with Snape pledging their proper allegiance to the Order. I know he's got some sort of semblance of decency somewhere in that tiny…"

"Harry," Hermione warned. "Now's not the time for you to bring up boyhood rivalries."

Harry sighed and picked up stray papers around his desk. "What do you want me to do?"

"Is there anything you _can_ do?" Hermione asked, a tiny burst of hope filling her chest. "I mean, you're Harry Potter and you're one of the greatest Aurors this Ministry has seen in years. You could ask for a pardon… or anything. I just don't want him to die, Harry… he c-can't."

Hermione tried to keep her voice steady, but was finding it difficult.

"I don't have any power over what they do with their prisoners. All I do is look for the bad guys and then bring them in… after that, it's up to the Wizengamot and the Office of Judiciary Respect. I had nothing to do with his arrest."

Hermione felt her breath leave her body. "He can't die, Harry."

Harry frowned and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I really, really am… and I wish this hadn't happened. I know Malfoy is innocent and I actually feel awful now for not um, for well, not accepting your relationship with him."

"So, that's it?" she said softly, her dizziness coming back at full speed.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, rubbing her back.

"Can I see him?" she asked. Her breathing was slowing down and her nausea from before was coming back.

Harry thought for a moment. "I can take you down to see him, but I'd have to stay with you."

Hermione nodded numbly. "Ok."

"Do you want to go now? Since Draco has been on the Most Wanted listed for so long, I'm almost certain they've put him under maximum security here at the Ministry and not at Azkaban."

Hermione wiped away a stray tear that she didn't realize she had shed. She stood up in response and waited for Harry to escort her to wherever Draco was. She relied on his offered arm to take her because her legs felt like jelly and she realized she hadn't eaten anything that morning. Probably not a good idea when she was supposed to be sustaining another life.

They passed all the security clearances with Harry flashing his Auror credentials, as if he really needed to, and claiming Hermione as his guest. They gave their wands over to the portly guard at one of the entrances. They encountered trouble as they reached the maximum security gates.

The wizard-warden stared them down in a no-mercy gaze. "You can go in, Potter, but the little Miss stays out here."

Hermione stepped in front of the wizard-warden, who was easily a foot and a half taller than her. "If you don't let me in there I swear I will make sure you won't be able to walk…"

Harry clamped his hand over Hermione's mouth and smiled apologetically at the wizard-warden. "She's had a rough day," he explained, not removing his hand, even as Hermione tried to bite it.

"She's either gotta be authorized or related to the poor sap," he said uninterestedly.

"I authorize her," Harry tried.

"By the Wizengamot," he corrected. "Aurors don't have that jurisdiction."

"I'm related to him," Hermione interrupted, having successfully forced Harry's hand away from her mouth.

"You a Malfoy?" the burly man asked with an eyebrow quirked.

"No, not technically. I'm his fiancée," she replied dishonestly.

He thought for a moment. "I don't think that counts."

"I'm also the mother of his child," she said.

Harry dropped his jaw and drew in a surprised breath. He could understand the fiancée lie, but the part about mothering the prat's kid was taking it a bit far.

Another moment passed as the guard stood thinking. "Ok, I guess that qualifies you. Seems Malfoy was busy before he got his ass arrested."

Hermione resisted the urge to slap the smug bastard and held her tongue as he unlocked the large, white door behind him with his wand.

As they walked along the long hallway, Harry leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Surely you didn't have to lie to the guard, I could have eventually gotten you clearance," he said.

The wizard-warden had stayed at his post as the two of them made their way towards the lone maximum security cell.

"I didn't lie," Hermione replied.

"You're not engaged to Malfoy and you sure as hell don't have any of his kids," Harry argued.

Hermione shrugged, not finding the energy to disclose anything with Harry or argue. They walked in silence the rest of the way until they reached a large, black door. Harry recited the complicated unlocking spell that released the lock and stepped back to let Hermione into the room.

She adjusted her eyesight to the dimness of the room lit only by a few candles. It was a very small room that had nothing in it, save the cot in the corner of the room and a toilet. In that single cot, Draco sat, hunched over, his feet on the floor and his elbows resting on his thighs as he held his head in his hands.

He seemed unfazed that someone had just entered the room.

Harry cleared his throat.

Without looking up, Draco spoke. "I told you, tubby… I'm not fucking hungry."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and realized Draco thought they were the wizard-warden.

"Draco?" Hermione said hesitantly.

Draco's head shot up and he locked eyes straight-away with Hermione. She almost fell over at the grief she saw undoubtedly in his grey irises.

"Hermione?" he breathed. His eyes darted over to where Harry stood. "How did you two get in?"

Hermione didn't recall crossing the room and kneeling beside Draco on the floor, wrapping her arms around him and crying into his chest. Damn pregnancy and all those tears. She needed an emotional plumber.

Harry stood by the door and motioned to Draco that he was stepping outside.

For once, Draco didn't hate the moron.

Rubbing circles on her back, Draco whispered softly into her ear, bringing her up into his lap on the cot, wrapping his arms around her in a protective embrace.

"It's ok, Hermione, please don't cry. You know I hate to see you cry," he murmured into her hair.

She pulled away from him and stared at him with the deepest incredulity she could muster. "How can I not cry? Voldemort would cry in my position."

Draco smiled and kissed her tear-stained cheeks. "I'm so sorry about all this. It's entirely my fault."

Hermione shook her head forcefully. "No, Draco. It's not your fault. Fate is out to get you, I swear. You have the worst luck."

He nodded. "I wish I could have spent more time with you… can you promise me something?"

Hermione could feel the tears again as she saw the defeated look in his eyes.

"Promise you'll take care of my mum… make sure to tell her that I love her and that I hate what I've done..."

"Stop!" Hermione screamed, jumping out of his arms and hugging herself around the waist. "Stop talking like that!"

Draco looked at her with sadness. "It's inevitable, Hermione… I'm going to be killed. Tomorrow. I've accepted the fact… you have to, too. Or I won't be able to die in peace, knowing you're suffering."

Hermione felt herself sink to the floor. "They c-can't kill you. I l-love y-you! I need you, Draco. They can't take you away from me, they, they…can't!" she sobbed. "We have to find a way to get you out of here. You have to come back with me."

Draco was at her side, slowly pushing her hands away from her face. "You said it yourself, Hermione. This is fate. I've been destined to lead a crappy life and to hurt others in the process. We don't have a lot of time together and I'd rather spend my final moments not trying to persuade you that I will be dead by nightfall tomorrow."

Hermione hiccoughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his his warmth. Even in prison, he smelled good and made her feel like bad things in the world didn't happen. But they did.

She pulled away and wiped her cheeks, looking him in those eyes that held so much sorrow, she found it hard to keep up a stare. She looked down at her hands, instead.

He lifted her chin with his finger and kissed her softly on the lips, making her shudder with the gentleness and adoration she felt through his kiss.

"The floor is cold," he said after he placed a single chaste kiss on her lips and chin.

She nodded and allowed him to help her up off the floor. She sat by him on the cot, holding his frigid hand and trying not to throw up. What a great time to have morning sickness.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked after they sat in silence for a few seconds.

Hermione sighed. Her energy was completely drained and she couldn't stop the internal debate in her head. Should she tell him or not?

"I can't believe this, Draco, I really can't," she said quietly. "You're only 20."

His hand seemed so cold. "Yeah, I know. Should have made better decisions as a kid."

Hermione turned her head so fast to look at him in shock. "You think you deserve to be here?"

Draco stayed quiet.

"Draco! You're completely innocent! Don't let those fools make you think otherwise. If only they'd give you a trial and if only they'd listen to reason, you wouldn't be here. So don't you dare start blaming yourself and believing their defamatory comments."

Draco managed a small smile. "Can I be honest with you, Hermione?"

She rested her head on his shoulder as her heart rate tried to return to normal. "You know you can."

"I'm scared," he said in barely a whisper.

Hermione felt the tears pool behind her lashes. She squeezed his hand and sniffed. "I know… me too."

"Do you think when I die, that there's a chance there's a place like Jannah, Arcadia or Paradise?" he asked.

"Jannah? Like the middle of that maze in your garden?" she asked, remembering their first 'date' like it was yesterday.

"Yeah. Do you think those places in muggle theology exist?"

"They exist if you believe in them," she said, stroking the back of his hand.

"What are the chances that they'll let a sinful bloke like me in?" he teased.

Hermione smiled sadly despite the gnawing pain in her heart. "I can't think about that, Draco. It's too hard right now."

He put his arm around her shoulders and brought her even closer to the heat of his body. "Is my mum at home?" he asked.

"She's at Isabelle's. She was a bit anxious and nervous when she came to tell me what happened… but I gave her some mild sedatives to relax her and Isabelle is great company. You'd think those two were old friends."

Draco smiled and kissed the top of Hermione's head. "I can die happy knowing that the two of you are ok."

"Please, Draco, don't say things like that," she pleaded.

"I have to, Hermione, don't you understand? If you don't get used to the idea, then it will devastate both you and my mum. I know there wasn't a lot of time for you to get adjusted, but that's life. Sucks doesn't it?" he said a bit harshly.

She had to tell him.

"Draco, I… I… I have to tell you something, but I really don't know if I should or how I'm supposed to tell you or… God, listen to me! I'm one of the best neuropsychiatrist Healers around and I don't even know how to deal with this. Granted, I've never had a predicament quite close to this… but still," she said in a rushed, uneasy tone.

"What is it? Tell me. I don't care what it is, its not like I can do much about whatever it is, I'll be d--"

Hermione cut him off by shushing him and simultaneously squeezing his hand a bit hard.

"Ok, sorry," he apologized. "Now, just tell me straight. No need to pussyfoot around the subject."

"Draco, I'm pregnant," she said as she felt her heartbeat crescendo.

Silence met her confession and it was the loudest silence she had ever experienced. The room seemed to become colder. It was just not the way she had expected to reveal the news. And it depressed her.

"Are you sure?" he asked several moments later, his hand not moving in hers, his voice barely recognizable.

Hermione nodded against his shoulder, where her head lay. "Isabelle did the Healer's check. I'm about a month along."

Another agonizing moment of silence. Until Hermione heard a sound she thought she would never hear coming from Draco. A sniffle and then a cleared throat. If he was crying, and she saw him, she would lose all vestiges of sanity she had left.

"Draco…" she whispered, feeling the tears make their familiar paths down her cheeks.. "I'm sorry."

His chest shook with the silent sob that escaped him.

She didn't know how long they sat there holding each other, mourning the loss of a future together… mourning fatherhood… and mourning their cut-short love.

A knock at the door sobered them up. Hermione wiped her cheeks for the umpteenth time that day and straightened up, feeling Draco behind her do the same.

Harry walked in and stayed standing by the door. "The wizard-warden came round and wondered what was taking us so long."

Hermione looked down at her watch and realized she'd been in the cell with Draco for nearly two hours. The time had gone by so fast.

"What did you tell him?" Hermione asked, not letting go of Draco's hand. That was something she wasn't looking forward to.

"I told him that you hadn't seen each other in years and that seeing as how execution lay in Malfoy's immediate future, that he give you two a break. I also might or might not have used blackmail and serious threats to get him to let you spend the night here."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "You used illegal tactics to let them allow me to stay the night here with Draco?"

Harry shrugged and smiled. "If I admit it, then I'm guilty," he said with a wink.

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said softly.

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry about everything, Hermione. I'm also sorry about how you're being treated, Malfoy. You are innocent of everything they've tried to convict you of."

Draco nodded curtly and stayed silent.

"I'll make sure the wizard-warden stays out of your hair and doesn't come around here. I assure you the utmost privacy," he said before leaving and locking the door behind him.

"He's a decent friend," Draco said quietly.

Hermione smiled and took a breath. "He is."

"How long do we have together?" he asked.

Hermione looked down at the blasted watch that would eventually be counting down his life. "When is, um, when is it scheduled?"

"Tomorrow at noon," he said in a tone that portrayed he must have repeated this several times to himself.

"Then we have 24 hours," she calculated.

She felt him nod.

"If it's not too much to ask, Draco… I want to make love to you," she said in a confident voice she thought she'd never gain again.

His eyebrows furrowed in worry, "But what about the baby?"

Hermione smiled gently and kissed his cheek reveling in his masculine innocence and naïveté. "Completely healthy and this is perfectly safe."

The corners of his lips lifted slightly in a smile she would miss beyond anything she could imagine.

She threw out all inhibitions and pressed her lips against his. Need, solace, and desire permeating the small amount of skin. Opening their lips to each other, they were lost in a haze of pure lust laced with the potent strength of the love they shared.

The dark grey jumpsuits they made every prisoner wear were surprisingly easy to take off and she had Draco naked before she even parted from his lips for a quick intake of breath.

Making love on a cot was not the most comfortable experience they could remember, but comfort was far from their minds as Draco slowly pushed in and out of her at a savory pace.

She called out his name in a soft mewls of passion and he whispered his undying affections to her that made the experience all the more heartbreaking. They came together in an earth-shaking climax.

Having Draco pull out of her, Hermione truly felt the loneliness and despair she was bound to face. His body was still warm and slick with perspiration as she hugged him to her, squeezed together on the cot.

He picked up her hand and kissed her wrist, at the pulse-point, lingering there for at least five seconds. Annoyingly, her tears started again and she tried her best to conceal them by covering her face with the hand Draco wasn't kissing.

They made love several more times after that. Ignoring the tick-tock of her watch, which seemed to grow louder and louder.

* * *

Hermione awoke to a deep rumbling in her stomach and an intense nausea. Food! How could she have forgotten? It was now morning and she hadn't eaten anything.

She leapt out of the cot and knelt before the lone toilet in the cramped spaces. She threw up what little food she had eaten two nights ago. This couldn't be healthy for the baby… not at all.

"Hermione?" Draco's groggy voice cut through the empty retching sounds she was making.

As soon as he realized what he was hearing, Draco was by her side, rubbing her back and pulling her hair back into a semi-constructed bun. Those hair ties were tricky.

"Are you ok?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

She nodded and wiped her mouth with her thumb, realizing she was still nude, she grabbed her underwear from the floor, putting it on slowly.

"I have to eat," she said as she hooked the bra behind her back.

Draco put the grey jumpsuit back on, his eyes staring daggers at her. "Why didn't you tell me to get food for you?"

"Wasn't the most important thing on my mind," she said honestly, buttoning up her blouse and zipping up her jeans.

Draco sighed angrily. "I'll get the wizard-warden."

Hermione sat on the edge of the cot, rubbing her abdomen, which was starting to cramp with hunger. She watched Draco walk to the door and press down on a button she hadn't seen earlier. He stood by the door as the little sliding window opened from the outside.

She could barely hear the exchange between the two men as she looked at her watch. It was only seven in the morning. 5 more hours…

Draco came back with a tray filled with a random assortment of food. Mostly breads, fruits and vegetables. He placed it on the cot next to her and went to sit on the closed toilet seat.

Hermione tasted nothing as she filled her stomach. "Aren't you going to eat?" she asked him as he studied his nails.

"I'm not hungry," he said quietly.

"You have to eat," she offered.

He looked up at her and smiled. "I'm sure my health isn't going to matter much today. I'll probably just throw it up anyways."

"Likewise," Hermione agreed.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Seven," she replied, finishing off the food on the tray, not knowing how she could stomach it.

"So, um… do you know if the baby is a boy or girl?" he asked, pulling at a stray string on his jumpsuit.

If ever there was a question that would bring on morning sickness, it was that one. Hermione gulped and shook her head. "No, we won't know for another three months or so. The baby is still an embryo at this point, not a fetus."

He smiled. "I remember reading a book on prenatal biology. I thought it was about biology in general, but it turned out I was wrong, and I didn't figure it out until I was halfway through the book."

Hermione smiled back at him. "What do you remember?"

"That there are three stages of a pregnancy. The zygote, embryo and then the fetus. And then a bunch of other stuff on blastocysts and embryoblasts, trophoblasts, gastrolation, mitosis, meiosis…"

"Ok, ok… you're a baby genius, I get it," Hermione laughed.

Draco shook his head. "I don't know the first thing when it comes to babies. Good thing I won't be around to mess this kid up."

Hermione gasped. "Draco, don't… how can you say that? You are a wonderful person and I'm two-hundred percent sure you'd make a wonderful father."

"Are you going to find someone to help you take care of the baby?" he asked, ignoring her scold.

"You mean, am I going to find some man to replace you?" At his silence she scowled at him. "No, Draco… I don't think I'll want some other person raising your child. And I'm sure you wouldn't want that either."

"Would you do me a favor?" he asked, his hands clasped in his lap.

"What is it?" she asked, laying down on the cot and hugging her stomach.

"Will you move into the Manor and stay with my mum, raise the kid there?"

Hermione thought for a long moment. "What about the other Healer?"

"Well, you're pregnant now, can't work much, right?" he asked.

"I can do plenty," she replied. "I won't even start to show for a few more months. But I don't know what's going to happen after tonight. I'll probably be too morbidly depressed to do anything."

"You have to stay strong, Hermione. I know how annoying that sounds coming from me, but if you lose it, then my mum is completely helpless. I know you're stronger than that, Hermione. I know you have the capacity to do anything and God, I swear, I wouldn't wish this hurt on my worst enemies."

Hermione felt that she had no more tears. She was void of most emotions except deep misery. "It's still hard to believe, Draco… this is so surreal."

"Yeah, I know," he replied. "So will you go live at the manor?"

Hermione rubbed her eyes. "Yes, I will. I think it would be good for your mum to be around her grandchild… she can be the one to help me raise the baby."

"She'll love that," Draco mused.

Before any more words could be exchanged, a loud knock resonated throughout the room. Without waiting for a reply, the wizard-warden opened the door with his wand out in front of him.

"On you get, Malfoy," he gestured towards the door.

"On I get with what?" Draco asked, standing up in front of Hermione.

"It's time," the wizard-warden replied with a stern look.

Hermione glanced down at her watch: 7:30 am.

"But it's not for another four and a half hours," she exclaimed.

"Didn't get the memo? It's been moved up to 8:00 am," he replied with a frown. "horrible thing it is… but the potions arrived earlier than planned."

"Potions?" Hermione asked. The wizard prison system was not one she understood entirely.

Draco took her hand. "They stopped using Dementors after the final battle. Now they've moved to three potions that will kill effectively. Similar to the muggles' injection, but we drink ours."

Hermione felt immensely dizzy and leaned against Draco's side to prevent falling over. "I'm not ready, Draco," she whispered.

"Sorry, Miss… I've got to get him down there, or it'll be my ass on the line," the wizard-warden added. "You going to come easily, Malfoy? Or do I have to call in back-up?"

Draco shook his head. "I'll come quietly."

The wizard-warden crossed the small room and magically restrained Draco's hands behind his back and shackled his ankles to only allow short steps.

Hermione was beyond emotion or feeling. She had somehow turned numb and wasn't able to perceive anything going on. She kept focus on Draco's eyes and when the wizard-warden stepped back, she flung her arms around Draco's neck and hugged him tight.

He kissed the top of her head. "Take care of yourself, Hermione. I love you so much and don't you ever forget it."

"I love you, Draco. More than you'll ever know, I love you and this baby will grow up knowing what a wonderful person their father was."

And with that, the wizard-warden led Draco out of the small cell, leaving Hermione no choice but to follow. They walked mostly in silence down the long hallway.

"I wish you didn't have to be alone through this," she said softly.

"He won't be alone, little Miss, it's a public execution," the wizard-warden replied. "He'll be in a room with a glass observation window. You're welcome to watch."

Hermione's fists were clenched so hard she could feel her nails digging into her palm.

"I don't want her to watch," Draco said in a gruff voice.

"I want to," Hermione retorted.

Draco sighed and just kept walking. There was no point in arguing. He was dying in a matter of minutes and didn't want his last conversation with her to be an argument.

"Ok, little Miss, the observation room is through this door," the wizard-warden pointed to the door near her right. "You can say your final goodbyes."

Draco scowled at the wizard-warden until Hermione cupped his face in her hands. His hands were still magically shackled behind his back.

"Goodbye, Draco," she whispered against his mouth.

Draco closed his eyes and nodded before kissing her one final time on her sweet lips.

* * *

7:55 am…

Hermione sat in one of the many chairs set up in the observation room set like a tiny theatre with approximately thirty chairs. She was the only observer.

She could see Draco sitting in the dentist-type chair, strapped in physically and magically confined. He didn't look nervous or anxious, but looked resigned.

Her tears had run out and all she could do was sit there and watch him. The one love of her life, sitting at his death… the father of her unborn child, about to leave her forever… and for what? For no good fucking reason.

Her head throbbed and her nausea was back. But she would stay until they kicked her out.

She wished she wasn't alone. But she was, all alone in the observation room, looking at Draco sitting there, with three phials of potion on a table in front of him.

There was a sign next to the observation window, explaining the potions:

_The first of these three phials: Tranquiso (leaves prisoner in a sedated, relaxed state)_

_The second of these three phials: Mortismo (terminates internal processes of the prisoner, with the exception of the heartbeat)_

_The third of these three phials: Cardicos (terminates heartbeat)_

Hermione had already read the sign seven times. It was easier than watching them strap Draco into the chair.

7:58 am…

A man wearing long white robes walked into the room that Draco was in. He bent down towards Draco and whispered something in his ear. Hermione wished she could know what the man was saying.

She saw Draco nod and then his face go a bit paler than it usually was. Which was quite a feat. The man wearing the white coat held up the first phial in his hand and swirled it around a few times.

A tear slowly made its way down Hermione's cheek. She couldn't believe it. She still could not believe it. She had never felt so alone in all her being. It wasn't as if anyone was actually going to attend with the time changed so suddenly… but it would have been better if she had had Harry there, or Ron, or Isabelle. Anyone.

8:00 am…

The man wearing the long white robes stopped swirling the contents of the first phial and checked his watch. He nodded to the wizard-warden who re-checked the straps and magical shackles holding Draco down to the chair.

If Hermione wasn't pregnant, she would have thrown up several times, but the embryo seemed to have taken everything she had eaten, so she had nothing to left to bring back up.

So she settled for holding her breath as the white-robed man brought the first potion to Draco's lips…


	17. Silver Line in the Cloud

Disclaimer: no ownership

A/N: the chapter title comes from the song, "The Hardest Part" by Coldplay

Also, thanks to my koukla beta for all her help!

* * *

**Chapter 17: Silver Line in the Cloud**

The light green liquid was half a centimeter away from Draco's lips…

A gasp was ripped from Hermione's throat as the door in the execution chamber was flung open and Harry stood with two Aurors she recognized but couldn't place names with faces.

The three Aurors didn't seem to be in a hurry, just walking in and talking to the man in the white robe, shaking his hand and smiling.

Hermione didn't realize she had jumped up and was pressed against the glass, wondering why the three of them had interrupted the execution. Not that she was complaining… she just wished she could hear what was going on.

They couldn't see her on the other side of the glass, which was a good thing since her nose was pressed against the glass so close she looked a bit on the mentally impaired side.

Harry seemed to be joking with the executioner, laughing and patting Draco on the shoulder, who seemed very relaxed and not at all surprised that his execution had just been halted.

In Harry's hand, was a scroll of parchment that he showed to the executioner, who nodded as if knowing what it was already.

In a rapid succession of movement, Hermione watched as the man in the white robes spoke to the wizard-warden, handed Harry back the parchment, watched as the wizard-warden unstrapped Draco from the chair, and helped him up, keeping his arms shackled behind his back, of course, and leading him out of the execution chamber.

Hermione stood frozen watching the room empty and then watching Harry come through the door that led to the observation room, with the two Aurors and executioner in tow.

She could feel her knees shaking and her heartbeat beating an erratic tempo against her ribcage as she tried to piece together what happened and to think of the first thing to ask Harry.

She settled with, "What on earth just happened?"

Harry strode up to her and enveloped her in a great big bear hug. "I told you I was sorry, right?"

Hermione nodded slowly as he slowly eased his grip and finally stood back to talk to her properly.

"Well it's obvious that executing Malfoy was a big mistake on the Ministry's part, so I talked with Augustus here, who was set to be the executioner. I told him everything and he believed me, saying that he won't kill an innocent man. He was never going to let Draco drink the potions, he was waiting for us to come and stop it in case any officials were watching."

Hermione stared dazedly at the older man in the white robes. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Not a problem, my dear. I wouldn't be able to live with myself had I killed a man who had committed no crimes."

He bade them farewell, claiming busy work and left Hermione with the three Aurors.

"So what's going to happen now? Isn't the Wizengamot going to be angry that he wasn't killed?"

"Oh, well we went and talked to the Minister and an assembly of the Wizengamot… we got Malfoy a trial," Harry said with a small smile.

"A trial?" Hermione breathed in disbelief.

"Yeah… well, I wanted to get him a full pardon with the Minister, but that was completely out of the question so Ron and I managed to convince them to give Draco a trial."

"Ron and you?" Hermione asked… she was having a very incredulous time with all of this.

"The minute I left you and Malfoy alone in his cell I went and found Ron, told him what was happening and we knew that we had to do something to make up for being complete assholes. Ron's just finishing up the paperwork right now."

Hermione's smile lit up her face as she took in what Harry was saying. This time, she gave him the biggest hug she could muster and whispered many thanks in his ear.

In an instant, it had seemed like she would be losing everything, and now this euphoria of getting it all back, made her just a bit lightheaded: that and being in the most nauseating stage of pregnancy.

"So, now what?" she asked.

"Well, Ron and Ellie want to talk to you right now and then I can take you again to go see Draco," Harry replied.

"Why does Ellie want to talk to me?" Hermione asked.

"She's Draco's Advocate. Remember how she works in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement with laws and all that… well, the minute she knew what was going on, she signed up to help."

Hermione's smile was having a hard time fading. "She's one of the best in the Ministry. I completely forgot about that."

"Yeah, add that to the fact that Draco is innocent, and he'll be a free man in no time. Well, not no time, since the first proceeding is in a fortnight," he replied.

"Why so long?" Hermione asked as they walked out of the observation room.

"It was the only free space they had and they said they were going to keep him in maximum security until then. It was the best we could do, Hermione."

"Thank you so much, Harry. You have no idea how much this means to me, how much you've done for Draco and myself and our… thank you," Hermione quickly corrected, not wanting to spoil the mood by telling Harry that Malfoy had knocked her up.

They walked in content silence the rest of the way, towards the second floor, where Ellie's and Harry's offices were, the other two Aurors were dismissed by Harry.

The minute Hermione walked in through the door, Ellie had her wrapped in a hug. "Oh, Hermione I'm so sorry you had to go through that. It must have been so horrible; I swear I was crying the entire morning. Ron has been in a right state all morning as well, talking to the Minister and the Wizengamot with Harry. I've never been more nervous and more anxious about an outcome. If I had known they had moved the execution up so early, I would have been with you, for support and…"

"Jeez, El… take a breath," Ron said from behind her. "Hermione tuned you out two minutes ago."

Hermione turned to him, happier than she could imagine, knowing that he and Harry had defended and fought for Draco's justice.

"No, only _you_ tune people out," Hermione teased, wrapping her arms around him in greeting and gratitude.

"I'm sorry, Mione, about everything before… sorry about almost getting your boyfriend killed," he said with a sheepish smile.

"As long as he's alive, you're forgiven," Hermione laughed. "Now, I have to go back to Isabelle's and tell Narcissa, make sure she's ok, and then I'm coming back here. I can talk to Draco about how we're supposed to pay you, Ellie."

Ellie laughed. "You're a barrel of laughs, Hermione. This is most definitely pro bono. No charge. Ron and Harry won't let me take any money from you or Draco. Their guilt finally caught up to them."

Hermione took a breath and smiled. "Thank you all so much, I really don't know what to say."

"Just go make sure Narcissa is doing well, update her and Belle, and then come back," Harry reassured. "We have a few things to wrap up with the Ministry officials and then you, Ellie and Malfoy can meet for a preliminary advocating meeting."

Hermione nodded and hugged them all one last time before going back to Isabelle's flat.

* * *

"And then what happened?" Isabelle asked, finding herself completely engrossed in Hermione's explanation.

"That's when Harry and these two other Auror's burst into the room and stopped the execution," Hermione explained. "But the executioner was never really going to go through with it in the first place."

Isabelle and Narcissa sat staring at Hermione with wide eyes.

"And they're going to give him a trial?" Narcissa asked slowly, as if not believing it.

Hermione nodded. "In two weeks. Ellie's already working on the case."

Isabelle was smiling slyly. "And how did Harry look like again when he burst into the room?"

"Are you seriously drooling over your man as we recover from this mess?" Hermione asked with a slight grin.

"Um. Duh," Isabelle retorted. "I can just imagine..."

Hermione laughed exhaustedly and leaned back on the couch where she was sandwiched between Narcissa and Isabelle. She placed a hand on her stomach and realized that she hadn't told anyone besides Draco about the baby. Isabelle only knew by default.

Hermione decided to wait to talk to Draco before telling anyone else, including Narcissa.

"I'm going to go back to the Ministry," Hermione said tiredly. "I have to go over some things with Ellie and Draco. Do you want to see him, Narcissa?"

Narcissa shook her head. "I don't think I could handle seeing him there," she said quietly. "You go and be there for him. I'll stay here with Isabelle if she can stand my company."

"You're like the big sister I never had, Narcissa," Isabelle said brightly. "I'm going to teach you a killer French manicure I learned using just my wand."

Hermione left the two women talking about manicuring disasters and the odd sort of things while she left Isabelle's flat and headed back to the Ministry.

* * *

As she walked along the familiar hallway with Harry, Hermione kept replaying the wonderful feeling she got when she saw the execution being interrupted. It was a memory that was going to be in her mind forever.

Harry used his wand to unlock Draco's cell and gave Hermione a quick hug before going back to his work.

Inside the cell, Draco was laying on his cot with his hands behind his head, staring into space. He looked up when Hermione walked in and sat up slowly, smiling widely at her.

In one, two, three steps, Hermione reached him and embraced him wholly, breathing deep breaths of relief into his neck and kissing his face with enthusiasm. With no words, she captured his lips in a kiss so strong that all her sensations combined into the one sense of touch playing at her lips.

She pulled back and grinned at Draco, reveling in the way his eyes had been freed of that desperate sorrow… that horrific grief.

"You don't know how good it feels to hold you," he whispered in her ear as he brought her closer to his warm body.

"Can you believe this?" Hermione breathed.

Draco stayed quiet, just holding her in his arms, smiling like an idiot. So many thoughts were going through his head and all he wanted to do was hold her. Boy, prison had made him soft.

He laughed at the thought and kissed the woman in his arms once more before leading her to his meager cot and setting her in his lap, cradling her as if he were afraid he would be taken from her again.

"Ellie's coming soon to go over your case," Hermione said softly as she nestled her head in the crook between his shoulder and neck.

"Ellie? Weasley's wife?" Draco asked.

"Yes, she's your advocate," Hermione replied. "She's doing it pro bono and is actually really excited to do it since it's a sure win."

Draco nodded. "It would do my ego no good if I didn't pay her."

"She wouldn't accept the money anyways. She can be just as stubborn as Ron is and…"

"I definitely can be just as stubborn as him," Ellie said from the door with a teasing smile. "Sorry to break your reunion, but I wanted to get some formal things out of the way."

Hermione stood up with Draco right behind her as Ellie made her way into the room.

Draco surveyed the new Mrs. Weasley as she extended her hand out to him and introduced herself. She was a bit taller than Hermione, with a lean build and a pretty face surrounded by thick black hair.

The wizard-warden had put in a table with three chairs around it for their discussion.

"Ok, guys, so first, I'm going to go over the general criminal trial proceedings dealing with accounts of murder and attempted murder," Ellie started as they sat around the table. She took out several scrolls of official looking parchments and spread them out about her. "Now, Draco here has been accused of being an accessory to the murder of Albus Dumbledore and the sedition act of being a part of the Death Eaters."

"But…" Hermione started to say, but Ellie stopped her by holding up her hand.

"I know and you know and the order knows and a handful of other people know that Draco is innocent. But in the eyes of this Wizarding government, he is guilty for those two things based on the evidence they have," Ellie explained. "Now, I'm going to run through the proceedings of the trial.

"Usually, these murder trials last for about one court date. Thanks to the effectiveness of Veritaserum, there isn't much debating between the Wizengamot. So, first, the advocate representing the Ministry is allowed his witnesses, including Draco, all of whom are given Veritaserum.

"After the Ministry advocate is through with their witnesses, I will cross examine the witnesses and if necesary, call my own."

"Wouldn't it just be easier if the Ministry's advocate just asked Draco if he committed the crimes and then, that's it… trial over?" Hermione asked.

Ellie smiled. "It would be very easy, but think about it Hermione, Draco did in fact aid in killing Dumbledore AND he was in fact a member of the Death Eaters, so the crimes for which he has been accused are true.

"But, my approach to this trial is going to prove that Draco was forced into the Death Eaters, as we know, and that he was threatened with the death of his family to aid in the murder of Dumbledore."

Draco shifted in his seat and ran a hand through his hair. Hermione looked over at him and realized how tired he looked. The dark circles under his eyes and furrow of his brows showed his stress and anxiety quite clearly.

"What if you can't persuade the Wizengamot of his innocence?" Hermione asked.

Ellie's smile disappeared and she took a breath. "In the very slim chance of no acquittal of all charges, then Draco will be given the same death sentence."

"How slim is that chance?" Draco asked, speaking for the first time.

"There's a ten percent chance that they will vote against you, Draco," Ellie said solemnly.

Hermione's jaw dropped. "Ten percent? That's not so slim, El."

"You have to understand, Hermione, that these Wizengamot members are older in age and have a lot of predisposed prejudices. Some of them are extremely obstinate and have overseen many trials portraying gruesome crimes. They basically have very little empathy and don't usually vote in favor of former Death Eaters, especially someone as notorious as a Malfoy. I'm sorry, honey, but it's the truth."

Hermione laid her forehead against her palm propped up on the table.

"But, I'm going to use every faculty and ability that I have to make sure Draco is acquitted of everything. He's an innocent man, Hermione, and as long as you hold that highest amongst your beliefs, then it will work out in the end."

Hermione nodded numbly and felt the beginnings of her light-headedness. "Thank you, Ellie. For everything."

"You're welcome, and I swear, guys… I will not let you lose each other again. I don't care what Ron says, you two make the cutest couple I have ever seen."

Ellie left the two of them and made her way out of the cell.

Hermione turned to Draco and took his hand in hers. "Well?"

Draco shrugged and got up from the table, taking his original place of lying on his cot.

"Listening to her, I realized that my chances are not as great as she said, Hermione. My name and reputation precede me and there is no way they're going to let me run off, scot-free," Draco said musingly.

Hermione looked at him and rested her head on her hand. "I believe in second chances, Draco. Fate has finally figured out what a crappy hand you've been dealt and has gone about its way to make sure you don't lead the world's worst life. If you think pessimistically, then our chances of winning this case shrink. So Draco, please, for the love of our unborn child, don't start thinking the worst."

Draco blinked suddenly and looked over at her. "Our unborn child… if I'm cleared, then I'll get to be a dad."

Hermione smiled and forced her eyes to cease their watering. "_When_ you're cleared, yes, you will become a daddy. Or a dada. Or a papa. Or a baba… whatever the baby says first."

Draco actually laughed and smiled so cheerfully that Hermione got up and kissed him again, unable to stop herself from physically touching him and basking in his physical presence.

* * *

_Two Weeks Later: Draco's Court Date_

Hermione wiped her mouth with the napkin Isabelle handed her as they sat in the bathroom stall at the Ministry. At one and a half months of pregnancy, the nausea was still at an apex and Hermione visited the loo at least twice a day. She still wasn't showing and probably wouldn't until her fourth or fifth month.

It was best that she wasn't showing since she still hadn't told anyone about the baby. Draco said it was best that they wait until the trial was over, regardless of the results.

Isabelle rubbed Hermione's back and handed her a cup of water. "That was disgusting," Isabelle said grimly.

"You think?" Hermione retorted.

Isabelle laughed and helped Hermione off of the floor. With a quick disinfecting charm, Isabelle had Hermione cleaned up and germ-free.

"The trial starts in five minutes," Isabelle said, looking at her watch.

Hermione nodded as she washed her mouth out at the sink. To put it simply, she was nervous as hell and her nerves were beyond frayed.

Isabelle held her hand as they made their way to the courtroom. Narcissa was spending the day at the Manor with the new Healer, who had been approved by Hermione as a competent Healer and a warm soul who would help distract Narcissa.

Once inside, Hermione scanned the courtroom and saw everyone she had expected to see there. It was set up in a fairly similar way as a muggle courtroom, except that the Wizengamot was facing the courtroom in an arch and there was no jury.

Draco sat at a table next to Ellie, who was talking to him softly and pointing to things on a scroll of parchment in front of her. Hermione and Isabelle took their seats in the public seating area directly behind Draco and Ellie. Draco turned around the minute he sensed Hermione's presence and gave her a small smile.

Hermione smiled back and leaned over the railing to kiss his cheek. "Good luck," she said jokingly.

Draco laughed and turned back to Ellie who had audibly sighed at them, backing up her opinion of them being an adorable couple.

Isabelle took a seat next to Harry who was sitting next to Ron. They were talking seriously amongst themselves. Hermione's knee was bouncing nervously as she watched the Wizengamot file in.

She turned in her seat to look at the surprisingly large crowd that had gathered to witness the most publicized trial of the decade. She recognized a few faces, people she knew from Hogwarts, people who worked in Diagon Alley, and some people she had never seen before.

The clearing of someone's throat turned Hermione's attention back to the front of the courtroom where the Wizengamot had settled in their seats and were calling the courtroom to order.

Hermione's hands started to shake and Isabelle reached over and held them in her own, giving them a tight squeeze and not letting go. Hermione's anxiety decreased a smidgen at her friends' support. It felt good to have them in her good graces again.

"Trial number 1208 is called to session. The British Ministry of Magic and the state of the Wizarding world against the hereby accused, Draco Lucius Malfoy on the count of attempted murder of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore and the count of treason and sedition of membership to the Death Eaters," a man from the Wizengamot read out from a scroll of parchment.

"The British Ministry of Magic and the state of the Wizarding world are represented by the counselor, Theodore Nott…"

Draco's head shot up as he looked towards the table across the room from him. He hadn't even noticed his former Slytherin dorm mate when he was escorted into the courtroom. He turned to look at Hermione who seemed just as shocked as he was.

Ellie leaned over to Draco and whispered, "Don't worry about Nott. I've gone against him before and I won both times. I must warn you though; he's really good and uses techniques that are especially devious."

Draco smiled dryly. "Of course, he's a Slytherin."

Ellie smiled and patted his hand with hers. "If I can put up with Ron and his entire family… I'm sure I can handle a Slytherin."

"The defendant, Draco Lucius Malfoy is being represented by Advocate Eloise Ennis Weasley."

Ellie grimaced at her given name and stood up as the Wizengamot addressed her.

"My defendant, Draco Lucius Malfoy, pleads not guilty for said charges and demands a complete acquittal and pardon from the Ministry for false imprisonment and attempted execution."

"Thank you, Advocate Weasley," the Minister for Magic, Peyton Delray, spoke. He was an older man who had succeeded Scrimgeour as Minister after the war.

"Counselor, you have the floor," the minister addressed Theodore Nott.

He stood up from his seat and stood before the Wizengamot.

"Witches and wizards of the esteemed Wizengamot, I come before you today to prove that Draco Malfoy is guilty of the crimes he has committed against humanity and against the government of the Wizarding world," he began. He was dressed in finely tailored robes and had cleaned up well from his school days.

"My first witness is an old schoolmate of the defendant's and one who knew extensively of his private life. I present Pansy Mildred Parkinson to the court."

Hermione heard Ron and Harry say some things quietly and then laugh cynically. Pansy Parkinson had not changed much since school, still a pug-faced, snotty witch with very tight robes.

"I'm not sure if that skankola knows this, but I can see her damned ass crack through those robes," Isabelle whispered to Hermione.

Ellie turned around and rolled her eyes as Pansy sauntered up to the witness stand. Draco had a lovely grimace on his face as he watched the former Slytherin in all her slutty glory.

"Now, Miss Parkinson, thank you for joining us today," Theodore began. "To test the effects of the Veritaserum, will you please tell the court your real robe size?"

Pansy smiled a sickeningly sweet smile which was difficult under the glazed look of the Veritaserum. "A size 8, counselor."

"Very well, then. Can you tell the Wizengamot exactly how you know the defendant?"

"Our families have known each other for quite a long time, counselor. Draco and I used to go on play-dates together when we were younger and when we got to Hogwarts we dated briefly," she replied monotonously.

Draco rubbed his face with his hand, disgust evident in his features.

"And just how briefly, Miss Parkinson?" Theodore asked.

"Four days," she replied.

"Why so short?" he asked.

"Draco broke up with me because he said I was a horrible lay and had an extremely annoying high-pitched voice," she replied.

Harry and Ron snorted with suppressed laughter. Isabelle didn't try to suppress it but laughed quietly. Ellie coughed quite loudly to cover up their sounds, although Hermione did see her smile.

"Objection, your honors," Ellie said forcefully. "I'd like that question stricken from the record on the basis that it shows an immature and juvenile side to my client that has nothing to do with today's proceedings."

"Objection sustained, the question and reply are hitherto stricken from the record," the minister said. "Counselor, please proceed."

Theodore bowed his head and turned back to Pansy. "Miss Parkinson, can you please tell the Wizengamot about any instances where Mr. Malfoy spoke of being a member of the Death Eaters."

"He spoke of being a member a few times when the Slytherins were alone together. During our sixth year at school, I never really saw him that much, seeing as he was always busy or tired to talk to me."

"Do you know the reason he was always busy?"

"Yes, he was doing his task for the Dark Lord. He never told us what it was."

"Thank you Miss Parkinson, for your testimony. That is all," Theodore said with a triumphant smile.

"Advocate Weasley, do you have any questions for Miss Parkinson?" the minister asked.

Ellie stood up and paced in front of the witness stand, her finger to her chin. "Miss Parkinson, could you please tell the court of any instances where my client claimed to _not_ want to be a part of the Death Eaters?"

Pansy blinked, "Once, one night when I found him in the common room at three o' clock in the morning. He looked tired and sick, so I offered him a blanket and a cup of tea from the kitchens. He refused so I sat by him hoping to get him to talk. Somewhere during that hour we sat together he mentioned that if it wasn't for his father, he wouldn't be stuck in this mess. At the time, I didn't know what that mess was, so I didn't really pay it any heed."

Ellie smirked at Theodore and turned back to Pansy. "I thank you, Miss Parkinson. You may step down now."

The next few witnesses were the same as Pansy, former schoolmates of Draco's who knew of his Death Eater membership, but when Ellie questioned them, also said that Draco had mentioned at least once that he was doing his work by force.

Theodore stood up after the seventh witness was called down from the stand. His witnesses so far had all proven to be worthless. His final witness came as no surprise to anyone.

"I'd like to call the defendant, Draco Malfoy to the stand, please," he said.

Draco was escorted by the wizard-warden to the witness stand… as if he was really going to try and escape.

Once settled and given the Veritaserum, Draco waited for the questioning.

"Now, Mr. Malfoy, please tell the Wizengamot of the day you were initiated into the Death Eaters."

"It was June the thirtieth, the summer before I started my sixth year at Hogwarts," he said in a solid, Veritaserum induced voice.

"Did you pledge your allegiance to the Dark Lord?" Theodore asked.

"Yes," Draco replied.

"Did you accept the task of murdering Albus Dumbledore?"

"Yes."

"Did you in fact find a way to get Death Eaters into Hogwarts the night of Dumbledore's death and did you in fact attempt to kill Albus Dumbledore?"

"Yes and no," Draco replied.

"Please explain," Theodore said, walking back-and-forth in front of the witness stand.

"Yes I did find a way for Death Eaters to enter Hogwarts, but I never attempted to kill Dumbledore. By the word attempt, I assume you mean I tried to cast the Avada Kedavra spell… I never attempted to cast the spell."

"But you would have, were you not afraid…"

"Objection!" Ellie said angrily. "Counselor is using blatant opinion in questioning my client on the basis of fear. I ask that the question be withdrawn."

"Objection sustained. Counselor, please refrain from inputting opinion into the wording of your questions. Now, please proceed," Minister Delray said.

Theodore bowed his head in apology and continued his pacing in front of Draco.

"So, Mr. Malfoy, you never attempted to kill Headmaster Dumbledore, but you had the intent to. Am I right?"

"Yes, I intended to kill Albus Dumbledore," Draco said.

Theodore smiled his ugly smile and turned to the Wizengamot. "No more questions, your honors."

The hushed whisperings amongst the Wizengamot worried Hermione beyond belief. Theodore knew exactly what he was doing when he left the questioning on Draco's answer.

"Advocate Weasley, you may now question the defendant," the minister said.

Ellie stood up and immediately began talking.

"Mr. Malfoy, please tell the Wizengamot _why_ you intended to kill Albus Dumbledore," she said, a look of seriousness across her features.

"I intended to kill Albus Dumbledore because if I didn't, the Dark Lord would have killed my mother and father. Frankly, I wouldn't have cared much if my father was killed, but my mother's life was in my hands and I didn't want to be the one responsible for her death."

"So you're saying that you were _forced_ to kill Albus Dumbledore?" ellie asked, a smile playing at her lips as the Wizengamot spoke in surprised whispers.

"Yes," Draco replied.

"And, just for the record, Mr. Malfoy, were you by any chance also _forced_ to be a part of the Death Eaters?" Ellie asked.

"Yes," came Draco's reply.

With a very arrogant smile pointed towards Theodore, Ellie turned back to the Wizengamot.

"So as you can clearly see, from Mr. Malfoy's testimony, which is under the effects of Veritaserum, he is not solely responsible for his membership of the Death Eaters, _nor_ is he responsible for the attempted murder of Albus Dumbledore. My client, Draco Malfoy, has never killed anyone before."

"That's not true," Draco said.

A rippled gasp came from the public and from the Wizengamot at Draco's interruption. The Veritaserum obviously was still in effect.

Ellie's face blanched as she turned to Draco. "Excuse me?"

"You said I've never killed anyone before. That's not true," he said dully.

Hermione looked at Isabelle, Harry and Ron, all of whom were staring in shock. The only person who didn't seem surprised was Theodore. He looked smug, the bastard.

Ellie swallowed slowly, trying to think of how to solve the situation before they lost the case.

"Mr. Malfoy, could you please tell us of what you are referring to?" she asked, dreading his response.

"I killed Lucius Abraxas Malfoy on the night that the final battle took place. He found out that I had betrayed the Death Eaters by giving the Order of the Phoenix information on where the Dark Lord was and how to properly defeat him. He aimed the killing curse at me when he saw me, but I dodged it and somehow knocked his wand out of his hand. I had him begging for mercy as I aimed my wand at him… I can't forget that moment when he pleaded for his life and actually had the nerve to bring my mother up. The woman he had abused to the point of insanity… that's when I killed him. I used the Avada Kedavra curse and put him out of his and my own misery."

The entire courtroom was eerily quiet. Draco blinked a few times and seemed to be coming off of the effects of the Veritaserum. His gaze focused on Hermione who had tears in her eyes. He mouthed the words, 'I love you,' and turned to Ellie who was staring at him with incredulity.

"Um, thank you, Mr. Malfoy, you may step down now," Ellie said.

Draco was escorted back to his seat by the wizard-warden.

Ellie stood at the front of the courtroom as Hermione and Isabelle held their breaths.

"Your honors," she began. "I ask you in my final statement to look upon my client with the utmost neutrality and detachment. I ask you to review his case based on the crimes charged against him and only against those crimes. Please add to the record that my client aided in the final battle out of his own volition and in fact killed the most dangerous Death Eater known to this community, which, accordingly, was his own father. I thank you for reviewing my client's case today and I wish you the best of luck in deliberating his verdict."

She bowed to the Wizengamot, returned to her seat and slumped in it, running a hand through her hair.

"Thank you, Advocate Weasley and thank you Counselor Nott for your work here today. The Wizengamot will take its deliberation into the private chambers and will be back shortly with our verdict," Minister Delray announced.

Hermione watched as the Wizengamot filed out of the courtroom. She turned to Ellie and Draco, who were talking to Ron and Harry.

"Thank you, Ellie, so much. You did a wonderful job," she said, reaching over the partition to hug her.

Ellie squeezed her tight and nodded. "I don't know how they're going to take that additional piece of information Draco surprised us with, but I really hope it works to his advantage."

Draco remained quiet as he watched them all talk. His head was starting to ache from the diminishing effects of Veritaserum and from being anxious about whether he was going to live or not.

Hermione turned to him and kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you, too," she said against his mouth.

He smiled at her and nodded, too tired to say anything.

Hermione's heart leapt in her throat as she watched the Wizengamot file back into the courtroom. Actually… her heart was beating a thousand beats per minute and her hands were back to shaking in Isabelle's hands.

The moment of truth.

The Minister cleared his throat and addressed the court.

"Trial number 1208 against Draco Lucius Malfoy for the crimes of attempted murder of the former Headmaster of Hogwarts and for the sedition and treason acts of joining the ranks of the Death Eaters has come to an end.

"Mr. Malfoy, can you please step forward so we can deliver the verdict?"

The wizard-warden again escorted Draco to stand before the Wizengamot as they addressed him.

Ellie's fingers were crossed and Isabelle was biting her lip as tears stung behind her eyes. Harry and Ron sat with grim features, their eyebrows furrowed in concentration and concern. Hermione smiled as she felt the odd sense of optimism lighting her features. True, her hands were shaking and her heart was playing a cadence of a drugged-out drummer, but knowing her friends were just as worried, made it all seem a little less stressful.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, based on the evidence shown today and the multi-witness testimony under the effects of Veritaserum, this court finds you _not guilty_ of the crimes that have been charged against you. On behalf of the Ministry of Magic and the Wizarding community of Great Britain, you are hereby freed from all forms of imprisonment and granted full immunity, amnesty and pardon."

Squeezed in a strangling hug by Isabelle, Harry, and Ron, Hermione felt her spirits soar and her eyes fill with the happiest tears imaginable. She managed to untangle herself from the three of them and in one jump she made it over the partition and into Draco's newly un-handcuffed arms.

He gave her the most skin-searing kiss he had ever given her. He pulled back and smiled so brightly that she thought she might cry again.

They walked back over to Ellie and the rest of them, where Draco thanked her profusely, an action very rare for him. He cordially shook hands with Ron and Harry and stumbled backwards when Isabelle grabbed him in a huge hug.

Once all the commotion had died down and the courtroom had been emptied of most of its former occupants, Draco turned to Hermione. "Come on; let's go tell my mum the good news."

Hermione placed a hand on her still-flat belly. "Oh, there's a lot of good news she's going to get today."

Draco's gaze moved towards her hand and his face lit up again. "Oh yes, plenty of good news."

**The End**


	18. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I still do not own anything related to the Harry Potter franchise. I also do not own the lyrics used here. They come from the song, "The Scientist," by Coldplay.

* * *

_**Questions of science…science and progress…do not speak as loud as my heart…**_

**Epilogue**

Draco buttoned the last button on his shirt and brought up the knot of his black silk tie, adjusting it around his neck. He grabbed his finest black robes and shrugged them on, wiping away all imaginary lint.

He turned his head when he saw Hermione in his periphery, walking into their bedroom in her long dark green gown. Her rounded belly stood out in front of her as she walked towards him with a smile on her face.

People would always say that pregnant women glowed and Draco always scoffed at that, wondering how a person could ever glow. But for the second time, he understood exactly what people were talking about when they said women in their later months of pregnancy glowed with a fine radiance unmatched by anything else.

"Your tie is crooked," Hermione said as she came up next to him at the full-length mirror and fixed it for him.

He grabbed her face and planted a sweet kiss on her lips, surprising her with the action.

"You're in a good mood," she observed. "Of course you _would_ be in a good mood seeing as how you didn't get up thirty times in the middle of the night to pee."

Draco laughed and watched her nimble fingers as they played at his collar after fixing his tie. "Are you ready to get going?" he asked.

She looked up at him with a warm look. "Yeah… I'm ready. Are you?"

"Um… I'm more ready than I was last year. I think it gets easier every year," he said as a sad smile crossed his lips.

Hermione nodded and leaned up on her toes to kiss him softly. "Come on, I left Noah trying to tie his own shoes."

"I don't understand why we can't just teach him a spell…" Draco started.

"Draco, we've gone over this. He's only three and a half and we should not be teaching him how to do magic outside of school," Hermione said as they walked up to the third floor of the Manor.

"I did magic at his age and there's nothing wrong with it… it's not like he's going to hurt himself," Draco argued.

Hermione sighed. "We'll talk about it later."

Draco smiled and kissed her cheek just as they reached their son's wing.

"Noah! Where are you?" Hermione called out, looking around the playroom where all of his toys were stored.

A little patch of blond curls popped up from behind the couch and hazel eyes peered back at them for a swift second before hiding back behind the couch.

Draco and Hermione each gave a small smirk that they had perfected over the years. "Now where did Noah go?" Draco asked loudly. "I swear I saw him in the closet. Did you see him, Hermione?"

"Hmm. I thought I saw him under the bed. If he keeps hiding, then he'll never get that super-strawberry-fudge sundae after the service."

The head of blond curls popped up again and the chubby face of a three-year-old Noah smiled back at them. "I'm ober here, mama! I'm ober here, daddy! I wasn't hiding away. I was here on the couch!"

"There he is!" Hermione said, placing her hands on her hips.

Noah ran towards his parents and squealed happily when Draco lifted him up off the ground and held him in the air, before bringing him back down to sit in his arms. "Where are your shoes, mate?" Draco asked, looking at the already dirty socks on his son's feet.

"I couldn't tied them!" Noah said with wide eyes framed by dark blond lashes. "I put them in the battub."

"You put them in the bathtub?" Hermione asked, walking to Noah's closet to get some other shoes. Most of the time, only Hermione and Draco could understand what Noah was saying.

"Yeth but they're not wet. Only dry," he explained, resting his head on Draco's shoulder. "Cam we get the thundae now? And cam we see Auntie Belle? She thaid she had a thurprise for me!"

"We're going to see Auntie Belle at the service along with Uncle Harry and Ron and Auntie Ellie!" Hermione told him as she put his shoes on that matched his pint-sized three-piece suit. "And then daddy's treating us all to ice cream!"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "He is?"

Hermione smiled at him. "Of course he is. Because he has to make up for saying mummy's tummy is finally bigger than her bum."

Draco hid a smile and winked at Hermione. "I happen to like your bum."

"Yeah, whatever," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Now, let's get going. We don't want to be late."

* * *

_**Questions of science… science and progress… do not speak as loud as my heart…**_

"I thank you all once again for joining us at this dedication ceremony," chief of medicine, Healer Brandon, spoke to an audience of fifty or sixty people. "It has been one year since the passing of Narcissa Black, who was a devoted patient in her final years and who donated more money to this hospital's pediatric and psychiatric wings than any other person in history. I am joined today by her son, Draco Malfoy, a philanthropist who has followed in his mother's footsteps and has only thought of others before himself. With his continued donations, this hospital is able to open new branches in parts of the Wizarding world where there is poverty and illness.

"His generosity and the continued loyalty from his family to this establishment are greatly appreciated by witches and wizards around the globe who benefit from St. Mungo's Hospitals and affiliates.

"Please join me in welcoming Mr. Draco Malfoy, his wife, Healer Hermione Malfoy and their son to the stage for the presentation and dedication of this new hospital.

"I hereby proclaim this hospital, The Narcissa Black Institution for Cognitive Progress, a hospital for the victims of abuse and mental illnesses. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire Wizarding health community, I thank you for your efforts in making this world a better place to live in."

Draco and Hermione shook hands with Healer Brandon and posed politely for the Daily Prophet.

It was the fourth service that they had been to in the past year since Narcissa's death. This service included an interview with the Daily Prophet that Hermione and Draco had tried as much as possible to avoid, but had been eventually persuaded to give.

They were escorted to the lobby of the new hospital they were currently at. Isabelle, Harry, their infant girl, Cissa (who Isabelle had named personally after growing close to Narcissa in her final two years of life), Ron and Ellie mingled among the new patients while Draco and Hermione gave their interview.

"Thank you for allowing us to cover this story, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," the reporter, a young man with an eager face, said.

"You're welcome," they replied quietly as Noah lay sleeping on his father's lap, his thumb stuck in his mouth haphazardly.

"My first question to you is: why did you decide to give your money to St. Mungo's and not any other corporation or establishment?"

Hermione looked to Draco for him to answer. "Well, when my mother was being treated for her schizophrenia and her body started failing, she told me in specific terms that she wanted a sizable amount set aside for donating to the hospital that had helped throughout her treatments once she got out of the Domiciliary Care Program. Both my mother and I knew that we wouldn't want our money sent to just any place. Also, my wife worked at St. Mungo's before she decided to stay at home to take care of our son and write books on her specialty"

"Speaking of which, Mrs. Malfoy, could you please explain to our readers exactly what your books are about?" the reporter asked.

"I've written two books on the differing personalities between people who effectively use their right-brain and people who use their left-brain. One of those books was a how-to book on successfully keeping a relationship with a person who uses a different side of the brain. All the proceeds from those two books went directly to this new hospital along with the money Draco donated."

"And are you still working on those types of books?" the reporter asked.

"Actually, no. With the new baby on the way and taking care of Noah, I haven't found much time to sit down and write. I've also been busy traveling to all those dedications Draco drags me to," Hermione said jestingly.

"The public has really just fallen in love with the story of your continued commitment to helping those in the Wizarding world who don't have access to health care and who desperately need medical help. You have a beautiful family, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, and I thank you again for giving me the time to share your story with everyone."

* * *

_**Questions of science… science and progress… do not speak as loud as my heart…**_

"Daddy?" Noah asked sleepily as they arrived at Florean Fortescue's.

"Yes?"

"When is mama going to have the new baby?"

"Do you know how long a month is, Noah?" Draco said as they reserved a booth for everyone.

"No," he replied standing up on the bench next to his father.

"Well, you go to Auntie Belle's house every Friday to play with little Cissa, right?" Draco said.

"Thitha is a baby!" Noah exclaimed.

Draco laughed at his son's inability to follow a conversation and nodded. "Your mum will have the baby after you've been to Auntie Belle's house four times. Do you understand?"

Noah nodded enthusiastically and wrapped his little arms around his father's neck.

Draco really couldn't have been happier than he was at that moment. Despite losing his mother after the effects of her physical abuse and the effects of the multiple cruciatus curses finally caught up to her and deteriorated her internal organs, he still knew that she had passed peacefully, spending her last two years enjoying her first grandchild as he grew from an adorable infant to a precocious toddler.

Narcissa had in fact named Noah, using the name she had planned to give Draco before his birth. Draco and Hermione were going to keep with that tradition and name their new baby girl: Lia, the other name Narcissa had planned to name Draco had he been a girl.

With a beautiful, intelligent boy, a little girl on the way, the most gorgeous, sexy, wife a man could ask for, Draco couldn't think of any other time in his life that he felt more at peace. He continued doing the financial work for Hogwarts and spent a lot of time on the Boards of different hospitals in the area, thanks to his generous donations.

"Daddy!" Noah squealed, driving Draco away from his thoughts.

"Yes?" Draco replied.

"When my new brother comes, cam I play with him all the time?" Noah asked, his hazel eyes wide with inquisition.

"You're not going to have a new brother, Noah; you're going to have a little sister," Draco said for the umpteenth time.

Noah could be as stubborn as his parents. "But I wanted a boy brother. I don't want a girl brother."

Draco smiled and kissed his son's cheek. "If you had a boy brother, he would take away all of your toys and he would always want to try on your clothes and he would always eat your ice cream… a girl brother is much better to have."

Noah nodded in stunned agreement. "Yeth. I don't want a boy brother anymore, daddy. Only a girl brother."

Hermione came into view with her eyebrows raised. "I thought I told you to correct him when he didn't use the right words."

"Noah, tell mama that she's being a horrible stickler for grammar and that you are only a three-year-old boy who hasn't developed the syntactical and semantic comprehension of an older child yet."

Noah laughed and promptly sat down in between his newly seated mother and father.

"I hate when you throw psychology back in my face," Hermione said after she childishly stuck her tongue out at her husband.

Isabelle tiredly sat down across from them and smiled deviously. "It serves you right for psychoanalyzing us all these years, Herms."

"I never… oh what's the point?" Hermione sighed as Noah tried to unsuccessfully sit in her lap. Her belly was in the way, so he opted instead to jump up and down on the bench until Draco dragged him down and settled him on his own lap.

Harry sat down next, placing a sleeping Cissa in her baby seat on the table.

"Shhh. Thitha is thleeping," Noah whispered.

"It's ok, mate," Harry replied. "This kid could sleep through a Quidditch match and not even twitch."

Isabelle snorted. "It's been proven since my genius husband actually took her to a game. My baby girl slept through the whole thing."

Ellie and Ron came last, bringing with them everyone's orders of sugary treats. In no time flat, Noah had consumed his ice cream, most of which ended up on his clothes and his father's lap.

"Oh, I spoke to Charlie the other day," Ron said. "He said he was sorry about missing the dedication today, but they just had a delivery of new feral dragons and he had to portkey back to Romania."

"It's been a while since we've seen Charlie around," Hermione said, resting a hand on top of her belly as she wiped Noah's mouth and face from the ice cream.

"Oh!" Isabelle said suddenly. "Guess what?"

"What?" they asked, used to Isabelle's short attention span.

"Guess who Healer Brandon is considering to make Head of the Pediatric ward once they get off of maternity leave?" she asked with a wide smile.

"Isabelle! That's wonderful news!" Hermione exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"Well, I almost forgot because Cissa has colic and I've just been so tired tending to her crying… but I just remembered and I had to tell you guys."

"Congratulations, Isabelle," Draco said. "You're the only person I would ever trust with my children, despite your quirkiness."

Isabelle beamed with the compliment and settled against Harry's side, where she had the perfect view of Hermione, Draco and Noah epitomizing the picture of a happy family. In truth, that's what they were…

A family that had overcome obstacles and hardships that other families didn't even come close to experiencing. A family that answered one of the most debated questions of science: that opposites, in fact, _did _attract.

_**Questions of Science… science and progress… do not speak as loud as my heart…**_


End file.
